The offer from Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan to act as a mediator between Iran and the incoming Obama administration is pretty good news. Good news not only because it possibly points the way towards a meaningful dialogue, but because it would be a good way for Turkey to step into its unique role as a bridge between the Western world and the Muslim countries. They're a NATO member who almost secured an EU spot and are currently sitting on the UN Security Council, but at the same time, they're a predominantly Muslim country that has good relations with other Muslim countries. Indeed, last year, they had a real breakthrough when they brought Israel and Syria to the negotiating table for the first time in years. This sort of thing has some wider IR theory relevance, too. Anne-Marie Slaughter, Ivo Daalder, Susan Rice, and others have for some time been pushing this concept of "strategic leadership," wherein America begins thinking more about its interests than its preeminence. Part of that means being willing to let allies take a leadership role in the regions where they're most influential. It's obvious enough how you do that in, say, Eastern Europe, but less so in the Muslim world. Unless, of course, Turkey is willing to step into a leadership role. And there's evidence they want to do exactly that. Erdogan, actually, is in DC today, and has a PR firm e-mailing journalists to attend his speech at the National Press Club and his event at Brookings. That's the sort of thing that comes as part of a concerted effort to raise your country's profile, not by accident.
