Israel and Turkey had been considered regional allies since the two signed a military cooperation accord in 1998. Israeli companies upgraded Turkish fighters and tanks. Ankara ordered rockets, electronic equipment, and unmanned aircraft from Israel. Armament sales accounted for over half of Israeli-Turkish trade. Other forms of military cooperation have included Israel's use of Turkish airspace for training and the conduct of joint naval exercises. Both countries considered Iran and Syria to be threats. The rise of the Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP) has changed Turkey's diplomatic orientation. It has also posed a threat to Turkey's secularist tradition set by the republic's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, a career soldier who had won prominence in the First World War before leading his nation's War of Independence. Ankara is not just turning against Israel, but turning towards Iran as demonstrated by its partnership with Brazil in a scheme to...(Read Full Post)