Early this past January, Turkey's ambassadors from around the world gathered in Ankara for their annual meeting. The five-day gathering had the usual elements of gatherings from previous years: the seminars and debriefings, and the traditional group visit to the austere mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, modern Turkey's secularizing founder. But there were also some significant differences this time around.
Turkey's foreign policy profile has increased dramatically in recent years, and the ambassadors' meeting coincided with visits to Ankara by the Japanese, Brazilian and German foreign ministers, all of whom addressed the Turkish envoys. Turkey's top diplomats were treated to a show headed by an all-star cast. ...