Erdo?an's uncomfortable US visit

It would come as no surprise to anyone if we were to conjecture that President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an is not one of Washington's favorite world leaders at present. 

There was a time when he was looked on as someone who could breathe fresh life into a Middle East unable to overcome its glaring democratic deficiencies and backward ways. In a controversial article for The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg recently wrote that while President Barack Obama initially said Erdo?an was a "moderate Muslim leader who would bridge the divide between East and West," he "now considers him a failure and an authoritarian."

That article grated on nerves at the "Palace" in Ankara, which tried but failed to get a satisfactory denial from Washington for the views attributed to Obama. The latest "will-he-or-won't-he" game with regard to whether Obama would meet Erdo?an during the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington this week is telling enough.

News now is that "he will," although this is being billed by U.S. officials as "an informal meeting." But this news follows days of uncertainty on the topic, which fed speculation about how Erdo?an was being snubbed. Washington could have nipped such speculation in the bud if it wanted to, but didn't.

Clearly Ankara used backchannels to push very hard for a meeting, even if it was for no more than a photo-op, in order to save Erdo?an's prestige and to protect him from bitter barbs at home. One might also assume that there is an element of "noblesse oblige" here on the part of Obama in agreeing to a short meeting with Erdo?an.

But this does not do away with the chill between the two capitals. Turkey is making its annoyance amply known over Washington's continuing support for Kurdish fighters attached to the...