In the waning days of the Obama administration, the time has come in Washington for summations and introspection, while in the Middle East it is time for payback and drawing knives. Curiously, America's enemies in the region are not the ones taking advantage of U.S. President Barack Obama's impending departure to settle scores, even going as far as stabbing him in the back, rather his friends and allies, who feel betrayed by Washington and cannot conceal their anger and frustration toward it. Last week it was the turn of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who accused Washington of failing to help his country in the war against the Islamic State group, saying U.S. policies, and destructiveness perhaps, allowed the terrorist group to grow stronger. Several of Erdogan's aides even threatened to banish the American forces stationed at Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey, which the United States uses to launch all of its air operations in the region. Erdogan, as usual, is not exactly right. For many months, Turkey, under his leadership, ignored Islamic State activity in Syria and Iraq, because it viewed the group as a counter-balance to burgeoning Iranian and Shiite influence in those countries. Erdogan also forgot how he had lambasted those who warned against the growing wave of radical Islamic terror, claiming there was no such thing as "Islamic terror." But he learned the hard way that Islamic State operates according to its own logic and that for the organization's rank and file, Erdogan is also an infidel, to be fought in the same uncompromising manner as the Western Crusaders and Shiites in the region, notably because Turkey is an easy, accessible target. And yet, Erdogan has good reasons to complain about American policy in the Middle East. After all, the Islamic State question was only a small part of the overall picture of mounting Iranian and Shiite influence in Iraq and Syria, the extremely bloody civil war in Syria, and finally, Russia's increasing foothold in the region as a key player and leading regional power. The United States, however, did not provide a response to these challenges, and all the steps it took were tactical in nature and led nowhere. One of these steps was to form an alliance with the Kurds in northern Syria, which for Erdogan was nothing short of a call to arms. Only time will tell whether the American decision was based on long-term thinking, perhaps a presidential decision even, or if it was just another showcase operation carried out by one of the American intelligence agencies, which, in the region, have operated largely independent of one another, or even in complete contradiction. The Turks, along with others, increasingly sensed that Obama did, in fact, have a general view of the region, predicated primarily on a desire to make amends with Iran -- the consequence being acceptance of its empowerment in the region at the expense of Washington's friends. At the same time, America's allies identified an unwillingness to take action and a lack of desire to prevent Moscow from returning to the Middle East in a leading role -- when it was still possible to do so -- essentially replacing Washington as the regional tone setter. Erdogan is a difficult client, yet he is still capable of appreciating and respecting power when he senses its presence. Thus he reconciled with Russian President Vladimir Putin and normalized diplomatic relations with Israel. It is also why he has welcomed U.S. President-elect Donald Trump with considerable praise. All these factors notwithstanding, Turkey has been a U.S. ally for nearly 70 years; hence this unprecedented low in Turkish-American relations is not necessarily strictly the fault of Ankara. The Saudis and Egyptians echoed the Turks, heaping praise on Trump while openly displaying their anger toward the outgoing administration. The Obama administration thus bids adieu to the Middle East without any friends. In the end, it abandoned the allies it had and failed to appease or forge alliances with the enemies it courted. Indeed, both enemy and friend alike respect power and tenacity, along with a clear worldview; which as we know were absent from Washington's policies over the past eight years.
