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Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/08/us-turkey-israel-gamble-idUSTRE7871WZ20110908
Turkey's Gunboat Diplomacy Makes Waves in Region
(Reuters) Ibon Villelabeitia - Turkey's plan to flex its naval muscles in the eastern Mediterranean risks being perceived as an over-reaction in Ankara's dispute with former ally Israel and as an assertion of regional power that could alienate even its new Arab admirers. Erdogan's ploy may fuel Western unease over Turkey's reliability as a NATO partner and its penchant for actions designed to court popularity in the Muslim world. "NATO and the West increasingly see Turkey as a loose cannon," said Gareth Jenkins, an Istanbul-based security analyst. "Turkey played its cards well in the past when it had good relations with everyone, but now it is playing them very badly." Jenkins said non-Arab Turkey behaving like a neighborhood bully would be regarded with grave concern by Arabs, who were subjects of the Ottoman empire for centuries. Few Turkish analysts believe Turkey is planning to send frigates in open defiance of Israel's blockade of Gaza, which the UN has declared legal, but their mere presence in international waters not far from Gaza could risk a clash.