Al Shindagah

©Shutterstock 8 | Al Shindagah | Issue 140 nderstanding the egomaniacal Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s regional ambitions needs no mind reader. For years, he has sought to meddle in Arab affairs, at times pretending to be a friend and, at others, openly hostile. His end game is now crystal clear. President Erdogan hopes to recreate the Ottoman Empire U Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor • Published in the media on 31 December 2017 founded during the 13th century or some version of it. In its heyday, the empire stretched across North Africa, the Middle East and major swathes of Europe until it was dismantled by the allied powers at the end of World War I. He understands that Turkey’s entrée into the European Union is a damp squib and now he is charting his country’s own course. Erdogan is actively courting cohorts to participate in this treachery, countries in league with the Muslim Brotherhood and/ or with the Iranian regime. He has taken a leaf out of the joke caliph, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi’s book but in a far subtler fashion. He is lining up potential Arab vassal states as permanent fixtures under Ankara’s boot. Al-Baghdadi wanted a This fiendish new Turkish-led alliance requires an assertive response POLITICS