Barack Obama bet big on Turkey becoming an anchor of stability and democracy in the Middle East. And he is losing. As David Goldman writes at PJM: Obama went out of his way to make Erdogan his principal pal in foreign policy. I have been ridiculing this notion for years, for example in this 2010 essay for Tablet.  As with nearly every other aspect of his Middle East policy, Obama is losing, big time. Turkey faces political and economic potential collapse. Goldman: Turkey is coming apart. The Islamist coalition that crushed the secular military and political establishment-between Tayip Erdogan's ruling AK Party and the Islamist movement around Fethullah Gulen-has cracked. The Gulenists, who predominate in the security forces, have arrested the sons of top government ministers for helping Iran to launder money and circumvent sanctions, and ten members of Erdogan's cabinet have resigned. Turkey's currency is in free fall, and that's just the beginning of the...(Read Full Post)