It seems your spellchecker fooled you and put Iran when you meant Israel.

Our VP goes to Israel and is dissed as Israel openly violates the UN security council (again and again) by announcing it will build thousands of homes for Jewish squatters on land it seized from Arabs. Muslims dislike this ethnic cleansing, yet Biden didn't scream and declared Israel America's great friend.

I am not too sure what Riyadh is up to? Whatever Turkey's relations and ambitions toward Iran long term are, right now Ankara and Tehran see eye-to-eye on the Kurd issue and Turkey is feeling economically flush and has put behind them past animosities with Iran for the sake of furthering economic security. In addition, Erdogan stated earlier that any pressure applied on Iran in regard to their nuclear program should also apply to Israel's as well.

With America occupied militarily and diplomatically elsewhere for so long, Ankara has taken to filling some of the void within the region and Riyadh sees that. At the least, I think this award has more to do with welcoming Turkey alongside other Muslim regional states in thecondemnation of Israel's approach to the Palestinian issue more than anything else - an atta-boy award!

Further, and lastly, with the collapse of Dubai World and the general Gulf area becoming worrisome to invest capital, Turkey still remains quite stable and vibrant and I'm sure the House of Saud and Ankara both see benefits here - a possible Muslim (or will that be Islamic) country joining the EU in the future?

Words and meetings do not necessarily lead to actions. We have to remember this if we want to disentangle Turkey's policy towards Iran with any accuracy.

The meeting with the Saudis is certainly a positive development, but let's not analyze is too deeply and call it a major breakthrough in Saudi-Turkish relations. From my understanding, Saudi Arabia and Turkey have always been relatively close, especially in the economic realm. Both countries are viewed as moderators in the Arab world's most contentious and longstanding disputes, with Turkey taking the role as a go-between in the Israeli-Syrian conflict and the Saudis taking the same job in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. With so much in common, it is only natural for both countries to embrace one another on the diplomatic stage.

Saudi Arabia certainly has some worries about Iran's regional ambitions (particularly its rising nuclear program and its proxies in Iraq), but Turkey may not necessarily feel the same way. Turkey is trying to brand itself as a prospective power in the region, not to mention the Muslim world's next spokesman. And with its strong alliance with the United States, they have a very real chance of succeeding in these goals. So who is to say that Turkey wants to jeopardize this by explicitly opposing Iran's nuclear ambitions...something that may be seem by ordinary Muslims as hypocritical?

http://www.depetris.wordpress.com

Interesting perspectives, especially from Mr Depetris. I wouldn't presume to put words in Mr McCreary's mouth, but as someone who was taught by him, I am reminded of his adage actions are more important than words in predicting behavior. He also said communication is an action. Giving an award like that to the leader of "secular" country is an act with consequences. The Saudis didn't pull Erdogan's name out of a hat.

It will be interesting to see how the Turkish military reacts to this, especially after the US Congress has publicly condemed them for the Armenian Genocide. Another reason for them to defend Ataturk and the people of Turkey from the foul scourge of the Islamist Erdogan regime. Or something like that...

Let's not assume too much about Turkish strategy. It might be the current strategy to establish Turkey as something as a first among equals in the region, but don't mistake for grand scheme what can easily be explained by med-term interests. One Soviet theory during the early 1980s was that the U.S was seeking to revive the Ottoman empire including Central Asia.

A Saudi ble$$ing on Turkey's growing economic and diplomatic reentry into arab affairs will help defuse internal military opposition to PM Erdogan's islamic politics. Arabia naturally wants to counter revolutionary Shiite Iran's major progress into Arab affairs via Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.

The Saudis have Aramco bucks and US military backing, but any Brit schoolboy could tell you that Iran and Turkey have the regions geographic depth and assets.

Opposing (re)emergence of regional rivals to US interests has been US doctrine since the collapse of the Soviets. However, our W. Asian influence is dimming with our bond rating, and a lost war. The islamists are cleaning our clock, here at the 7th inning stretch.

If Turkey is scheming, and I certainly believe they are, what they want will run them afoul of the US and therefore climbing into bed with the Saudis in any committed way is not realistic - they'll flirt, sure - but Iran remains the true object of their desire.