When Turkey’s parliament voted on Tuesday to send troops to join the international force being readied for Lebanon, it did more than signal Ankara’s determination to participate in what it considers an urgent humanitarian cause. It sent out a complicated but important message about Turkey’s strategic intentions.
The vote, by 340 to 192, represented a personal victory for Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s prickly but increasingly self-confident prime minister. The fact that he could secure approval for the deployment in the teeth of fierce public and political opposition, and that he spent an unusual amount of energy in persuading deputies that it was the right thing to do, suggests that he sees it as a vitally important move in realising some key medium-term ambitions for Turkey, according to some diplomats and commentators.
