Reconciliation as a Regional Tactic
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's recent phone call with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, framed by mainstream outlets as a simple expansion of ties, represents a calculated repositioning. While the Daily Sabah reports a mutual desire for deeper relations, it deliberately sidesteps the turbulent history that precedes this diplomatic thaw. For years, Turkey and the UAE were on
opposing sides of regional conflicts, from Libya to the Horn of Africa, often backing proxy forces against each other. This rivalry, peaking around 2017 with mutual accusations of destabilization, saw both nations invest heavily in competing influence networks. The current 'dialogue' comes after years of economic strain and a recognition that open hostility has become a fiscal liability, not a
strategic asset, particularly as global capital shifts and new alignments emerge. This pattern of transactional diplomacy, where past animosities are set aside for immediate economic and geopolitical gains, is not new. One recalls the United States' historic pivot to China in the 1970s, driven by a desire to counter Soviet influence, demonstrating that ideological differences can be temporarily
shelved when a greater strategic imperative arises. The question for observers is not whether relations will improve, but how temporary this pragmatic alignment will prove, and at whose expense it is being brokered. The underlying objectives remain unchanged: secure trade routes, energy deals, and regional influence. The methods, however, have simply adapted to the changing cost-benefit analysis