Technology, investment, energy and security correspond to ingredients responsible for weaving unprecedented plots in the intricate diplomatic scenario of the Middle East, which has undergone profound transformations in recent years.
In yet another chapter of the new plot, Turkey and Israel announced on Wednesday (17) the re-establishment of full diplomatic relations, with the sending of ambassadors, in an attempt to rescue a dialogue shaken since 2009 by the reorientation of Turkish foreign policy.
In 1949, Turkey became the first Muslim-majority country to recognize Israel’s independence, defined by UN resolution 181. Bilateral relations went through a golden moment in the 1990s, with economic and military cooperation, a reflection of a Turkish foreign policy marked by partnerships with the US, NATO membership and aspirations to participate in European integration.
Turkish President Recep Erdogan, in power for nearly two decades, has redesigned his country’s international insertion. Instead, he opted for attempts to gain influence in the Middle East, based on nationalism with religious appeal and nostalgic vision, in a return to areas dominated, until the beginning of the 20th century, by the Ottoman Empire.
The claims provoked negative reactions in regional powers, such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Turkey, in the nationalist offensive, distanced itself from its Israeli partner and preferred to support Hamas, a Palestinian group, rather than defending Israel’s destruction and dominating the Gaza Strip.
Turkish troops have been involved in conflicts such as those in Syria and Libya. They were also present in countries such as Qatar, Somalia and Iraq. Erdogan’s nationalism and authoritarianism caused major friction in relations with the US and European countries. A serious economic crisis has descended on Turkey, with inflation approaching 80% a year.
With an eye on staying in power, with presidential elections next year, the president decided to reorient the compass. He signals to soften nationalism, in search of investments to face the economic meltdown.
While Erdogan fueled the nationalist fire, Israel and former enemies pragmatically advanced peace initiatives known as the Abraham Accords. The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan signed treaties, with the approval of Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
Unthinkable decades ago, the new Middle-Eastern order emphasizes pillars such as security and economy. First, it means bringing rival countries closer to an Iran with nuclear ambition and worried about the decrease in the military presence in the region of the US allies.
The other factor is called the post-petroleum era. Saudis and their neighbors seek, at different speeds, to move away from oil dependence and to structure more diversified economic models, supported, for example, by technological innovations. They came to see Israel, rather than an enemy, as a partner.
Erdogan, pressured by the crisis in the economy, revised the booklet and sought to dilute tensions built in recent years with Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, in order to embark on the regional redesign. He hopes, therefore, to attract investment, establish commercial partnerships and strengthen the alliance committed to countering Iranian ambitions to expand influence in the Middle East.
Turkey also plans to participate in projects on natural gas reserves found by Israel in the eastern Mediterranean. To extend his stay in power, Erdogan decided to revise the flight map. He surrendered to the new winds of the Middle East.
