When Turkey Suffers, Global Energy Suffers

The killing of at least 95 people Oct. 10 in Turkey's worst-ever terrorist attack lays bare just how fragile this apparently solid bastion of international energy security interests really is. The attack on participants gathering at Ankara Railway Station for a peace demonstration — whether the work of Islamist militants, as the government has suggested, or agents of the "deep state," as some opposition leaders fear — demonstrates the ruthless nature of the civil strife currently engulfing Turkey.

It also serves as a stern warning for the rest of the world that within a few weeks it may well have to radically change its perception of Turkey's suitability as a key strategic partner in major oil and natural gas pipeline projects backed by the United States and Europe, as well as those being developed by Russia.