In the Middle East, Turkey has been the pro-Western outpost par excellence, even after the election of an Islamist government some years back. True, the Turks forbid a U.S. invasion of Iraq from Turkish soil, but they remain a far more loyal partner than any other major Muslim state, not excluding Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Similarly, they have been very helpful to the Israelis. The recent Israeli demarche, which was incredibly disrespectful to the Turkish government and people, really shocked me. The chutzpah displayed by the deputy foreign minister was astonishing. If I were the Turks, I’d do more than publish op-eds in the NYT. The U.S. should conciliate this old ally, which with Iran could form a strong base from which U.S. policy in the region (and beyond, into Central Asia) could be carried on.