Turkey’s Erdogan turns Khashoggi case to his advantage | Financial Times

Turkey’s Erdogan turns Khashoggi case to his advantage | Financial Times:

Recep Tayyip Erdogan this week lamented the killing of Jamal Khashoggi on Turkish soil as a “savage” crime against a man he called a friend. But the alleged murder of the Saudi journalist has also presented the Turkish president with an opportunity to gain an unexpected advantage in a regional power struggle.

On one side are Mr Erdogan, whose roots are in Islamist politics, and Qatar, a country that has joined him in supporting like-minded actors across the region. On the other are Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, countries staunchly opposed to Islamist political groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood, which they view as a threat to stability. 


“Erdogan has grasped an opportunity to go after this tripartite alliance,” said Soner Cagaptay, director of the Turkey programme at the Washington Institute, a think-tank. “And he’s now going after its weakest link.”