A little over a year after the Arab uprisings in the Middle East began, fears that Turkey's southern periphery could be descending into sectarian polarisation -- even conflict -- are mounting.

Syria and Iraq, two countries whose internal problems could have spill-over effects on the entire region, are of particular concern to Turkey.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has gone so far as to warn that increasing polarisation in sectarian-fragile Syria and rising Sunni-Shia…

Even before the Arab Spring, the Turkish government has been carefully positioning itself to emerge as a new regional hegemon, hoping to play an even more critical role in Iraq and the larger Middle East. The U.S. plans to withdraw all combat forces from Iraq by the years end while nations of the Arab Spring—Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya—face the challenge of nascent governments, post-revolution reforms, and violence including in Syria along Turkey’s own borders. A distinct power vacuum is…