Turkey and Iran Jostle For Influence In Middle East

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Turkey and Iran hold divergent views on the ongoing Arab Spring protests across the middle east. One indicator of the divide is the current international conference on Afghanistan which opens in Istanbul today. All states in attendance sent high level diplomats except for Iran which sent a low ranking deputy foreign minister despite it claims to be a regional super power and sharing a long border with Afghanistan. The diplomatic tensions reveals how the current Arab uprising has  transformed Turkey-Iranian friendship into a intensifying rivalry.
The outcome of the rivalry is the rekindling of centuries old rivalry for influence between the Persians and Ottoman. The result will shape the security architecture of the middle east for years to come.
Source: http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2011/1102/Turkey-s-rising-clout-leaves-Iran-fuming-on-sidelines-of-Arab-Spring
Reliability (9)
Comments: Iran claims the Arab Spring is modeled after its own 1979 Islamic Revolution with little evidence to back up those claims. In addition, Iran counts the uprising its close ally, Syria, as an exception . Iran brutally cracked on down on pro democracy protests in 2009 and coupled with its dualist views, it has less appeal and influence in the Arab world. Turkey’s secular, democratic and Islamic leaning society is a  model for Arab states.

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