Russia is a competitor in the region. With power more concentrated in the hands of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan since a failed coup last month, Turkey has the right mix of economic, political and military influence to become the leading regional power ahead of Saudi Arabia, Israel and Iran, according to George Friedman, founder of Geopolitical Futures. His stronger position allows him to reshape the military (the largest in the Middle East), intelligence and other areas thereby giving Turkey room to manoeuvre in the region. The Turkish economy is growing at its fastest pace for two years as it tries to cope with low oil prices and high inflation.
With power more concentrated in the hands of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan since a failed coup last month, Turkey has the right mix of economic, political and military influence to become the leading regional power ahead of Saudi Arabia, Israel and Iran, according to George Friedman, founder of Geopolitical Futures. His stronger position allows him to reshape the military (the largest in the Middle East), intelligence and other areas thereby giving Turkey room to manoeuvre in the region. The Turkish economy is growing at its fastest pace for two years as it tries to cope with low oil prices and high inflation.