Under the leadership of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davatoğlu, Turkey has pursued a policy of good relations with all its neighbors. Well, almost. If Turkey wishes to join Europe or simply have diplomatic credibility in the region, it must end its occupation in Iraqi Kurdistan now.

If Erdogan believes it is up to any state and any region to choose its own name, then no longer should the Turkish government complain when diplomats and officials speak of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Iraqi Kurdistan, or even South Kurdistan.

Iraqi Kurdistan will always be weaker than Turkey and, to officials in Washington, it will always be less important than Turkey so long as Turkey remains in NATO. Still, the Kurdistan Regional Government can seize diplomatic initiative and perhaps protect its own people and force Turkey to moderate its actions, if only Kurdish leaders would play their hand more skillfully.

Any new president will be faced with serious decisions regarding Turkey. Should Turkey remain in NATO? If so, should the United States share its next generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, Predators, and AWACS aircraft with Turkey? (INCLUDES VIDEO)

Turkish diplomats tell their American counterparts that they need the helicopters to combat Kurdish guerillas. Turkey may have other motives however. Turkish President Abdullah Gül has suggested Turkey might seek to punish Kurds collectively for the actions of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

A cornerstone of Bush administration foreign policy has been a new commitment to democracy in the Islamic world. In theory, Turkey should be a shining example for that policy, yet since the invasion of Iraq, Washington-Ankara relations have been strained. In addition, skeptics of the virtues of democracy in the...

Elections in Turkey come at a crucial time. In this election, the Turks will decide if the AKP will win again. If they do, Turkey could slip further in to autocracy.

Contrary to conventional wisdom in Washington, Turkey's prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is not interested in preserving his country's relationship with Israel, but is determined to bolster Turkey's standing in the Arab and Muslim world's at Israel's expense.