Not a day goes by without someone trying to predict the future for Iraq and the Middle East. Will Turkey intervene if the Kurds usurp the strategic city of Kirkuk? What position will Turkey take if Iran goes nuclear? When will we order our air force to bomb the menacing Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) terrorist camps out of northern Iraq? When will patience run out with the Barzani fiefdom?

On the afternoon of Jan. 19 Turkey was seriously wounded. One of its brightest minds, Hrant Dink, editor-in-chief of the Armenian weekly Agos, was assassinated in cold-blood in the middle of Istanbul. Since then, Turkey has expressed its disbelief, grief and disgust. Once again, we have demonstrated that we cannot stand men of letters, particularly if they challenge the views of the Turkish establishment.

Since the Baker-Hamilton report has been published, a good amount of debate focused on engaging Iraq's neighbors, such as Iran and Syria. The difficulties are obvious in such an endeavor, although making Syria part of a solution in Iraq appears to be much easier than engaging Iran.