Talking Turkey
Jan 21, 2011

Turkey is hosting a new round of discussions between Iran and the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Russia and China – the P5-plus-1 in acronym-ese.

There is little hope for quick progress in solving Iran’s nuclear aspirations – which most observers think means Tehran’s drive to build a nuclear bomb, despite denials from the Iranian government.

But also significant is the increased role that Turkey is undertaking as an intermediary in solving some of the world’s problems.

All too often, it is the United States that has acted as a mediator in conflicts. Sometimes, though, the U.S. appears as a less-than-neutral broker of deals – read Middle East, for example. Many in the region believe the U.S. too often intervenes with its soldiers rather than its diplomats.  

That is why it is indeed good news to see that Turkey is undertaking the middle-person role. Traditionally, Ankara has maintained good relations with most of its neighbors, including Israel (until the Israeli Defense Forces killed a number of Turks on a ship bringing aid to Gaza).