Terror, refugees, diplomatic fallout

Relations between Turkey and the Kurds -- at home and in neighboring Syria -- have deteriorated immensely over the years.

The Kurds' successful establishment of partial autonomy in Syria, with American and even Russian assistance, is deeply troubling for Turkey, whose Kurdish citizens have increasingly accentuated their ethnic identity in recent years. It comes as no surprise, therefore, that while the Americans fight the Islamic State group and the Russians pummel the Syrian rebels, the Turks have deployed their own armed forces against the Kurds in Syria while intensifying their crackdown on the Kurdish underground inside Turkey.

There has been skepticism, however, both in Turkey and abroad, over whether the Kurds are indeed behind the spate of terrorist attacks in the country. After all, Islamic State also has an ax to grind with the Turkish government. Even as it fights in Syria and Iraq, IS has attacked the Turks before, and not merely because coalition jets targeting its positions take off from airports inside Turkey.

Thus, from a foreign policy of "zero problems," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan now finds himself with "zero friends" and a bevy of enemies. Along with the terrorist attacks and his campaign against the Kurds and Islamic State, Erdogan is also engaged in a raucous quarrel with the Russians, which nearly devolved into a military confrontation following the downing of a Russian plane last November. Meanwhile, Erdogan is also clashing diplomatically with the American administration over its support for the Kurds in Syria, who are intrinsically tied to the Kurdish PKK organization active in Turkey, which Erdogan considers a terrorist group. Erdogan also has few remaining friends in the Arab world, due to his spat with the Egyptian regime over his support of the Muslim Brotherhood movement there.

Beyond all this, Turkey is drowning in a sea of refugees. It has absorbed nearly 3 million refugees from Syria, and the steady stream is not subsiding. The burden on the Turkish economy is growing, along with concerns over terrorist elements infiltrating the country. Only a fraction of these refugees will continue onward to Europe, but the Europeans expect Turkey to absorb those refugees as well.

Also of note, of course, are the developments on Turkey's domestic front, where tensions are boiling over after Erdogan, seeking to quell the rising tide of criticism against him, cracked down on news outlets.

Like a juggler dropping one ball after another, it's not hard to understand why Erdogan has turned to Jerusalem. Perhaps he can find salvation in the renewal of dialogue with Israel.

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