Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan poses challenge for Obama

[bemildred]

Reporting from Washington—
In the space of a few weeks this summer, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan slammed President Obama's approach to Mideast peacemaking, threatened to block U.S. business from drilling for oil and gas in the Mediterranean, and warned he might mobilize Turkish warships to protect activists sailing to Gaza against America's chief regional ally, Israel.

Yet when Obama met Erdogan on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meeting last month, he once again gave him more face time than any other world leader. Erdogan, Obama declared as the two headed to a 105-minute meeting, "has shown great leadership."

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Henri Barkey, a Turkey expert and former State Department official, says that although U.S. officials have gotten some of the commitments they most wanted from Turkey this year, others, such as restoration of its former strong relationship with Israel, may be out of reach.

"They won't convince Turkey not to lead an anti-Israel bloc in the Middle East," said Barkey, now with Lehigh University. "Not going to happen."

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-us-turkey-20111011,0,3520640.story

[Jefferson23]

1. Slip sliding away from US influence/power, must feel invigorating. Poor Obama, still

stuck mending fences for "the West's spoiled child."