Turkey

Sectarian flames are melting away Turkey's hard-earned soft power in the Middle East and pushing Ankara closer to Washington.

Turkey's worsening border situation gives President Obama considerable asking power with Erdogan on a variety of issues, including Iran, Israel, and domestic reform.

The May 16 summit provides an opportunity to strengthen cooperation on Iraq, Syria, Israel, and Iran.

On April 25, the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) announced that it would withdraw its militants from Turkish soil after more than four decades of fighting against Ankara, including carrying out terror attacks inside Turkey. The announcement follows recent news that Ankara has begun official peace talks with PKK leader Abdullah

U.S. policymakers once lamented that Washington needed Turkey more than the other way around, but this is no longer true.

The next six months could see either a game-changing strategic energy compact between Turkey and the Iraqi Kurds or movement toward a more sustainable Ankara-Baghdad-Erbil relationship. Washington has a strong interest in encouraging the latter.

Pro-Assad sentiment and sectarian tensions in the south have made Ankara think twice about intervention and could bring the fighting over the border.

The president tilted U.S. policy toward Israel in substantive ways, especially with regard to resuming peace talks with the Palestinians and repairing Israel-Turkish ties.

To get back on the road toward peace, democratization, and perhaps even EU membership, Turkey's leaders will need to forge ahead on language reforms aimed at recognizing the country's ethnic minorities.