3. Turkey
At the end of the Great War, once powerful Ottoman Empire was dissolved and Turkey was born. The new republic lost the control of the Middle East, a region that was under Istanbul’s rule for centuries. Many modern experts agree that the Sykes–Picot Agreement, which defined new borders in the region, is a root of a majority of problems the Middle East faces today. Be that as it may, Turkey has been gradually increasing its influence over the region in the last few decades, by first providing support to United States’ wars and lately, by conducting them on their own. While on the surface Turkey shares a common enemy with Israel, Erdogan’s policies of increasing Islamization of his country may easily result in a conflict with the Jewish state. To make matters worse, Turkish armed forces are the only one in the region that can give IDF a run for their money. They are well-equipped, decently trained, and have plenty of combat experience from decades of fighting Kurd rebel groups.
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