Chris Doyle is the director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding, a London-based NGO. The opinions expressed in this article belong to the author.
(CNN)The disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last week remains a mystery.
But what’s clear is that — whatever has happened to Khashoggi — this story lies at the nexus of increasing power games and regional rivalries across the Middle East, where the space for dissent and opposition to the ruling elites is shrinking fast.
These two powers are nominally western allies. Both were initially opposed to the Syrian regime in the now seven-year civil war taking place in that country. But they also have very different ideas as to what the endgame looks like for Syria.
Turkey has been keen to manage its relationship with the Saudis, while being more critical of the Saudis’ key regional partner, the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The two nations have significantly different geopolitical priorities, while both are trying to become the leading Sunni power in the region.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and its Shia rival Iran are currently engaged in a furious cold war, being fought principally in Yemen and before that in Syria. (The Saudis have also tried to limit Iranian influence in both Iraq and Lebanon.)
As part of this growing pressure on Iran, Saudi Arabia — together with Israel and other allies — aggressively lobbied President Donald Trump to rip up the Iran nuclear deal of 2015. Most of these nations almost certainly would relish a US-led attack on Iran.
By way of contrast, Turkey has an important relationship with Iran, despite being very different regimes. Iran is an Islamist Shia theocratic state whereas Turkey is Sunni albeit under increasingly autocratic and de-secularized rule.
Turkey benefits…
