The wars since October 7 have reshaped battlefronts and shifted power across the Middle East. Iran and Israel have confronted each other directly, bearing military, political, and economic costs, while Saudi Arabia and Türkiye have avoided this cycle of attrition and made relative gains.
Ankara’s handling of the Iran war has strengthened its foreign policy standing while helping deflect domestic criticism and portray political opposition as a liability in a volatile region. The risk is that Türkiye’s geopolitical leverage is used to consolidate political power rather than strengthen national capacity.