But the Saudis are also aware that any direct attack on Tehran could pose an even bigger threat to their rule, provoking Shia uprisings that might engulf them. For Riyadh, an alternative route under review in Washington is preferable—inserting Turkey into the regional equation as a Sunni–nato detachment of the empire, buttressing the Saudi petrodollars offered to Syria to break with Iran. This would serve as a counter-thrust against any future Tehran–Baghdad axis and cut off Hezbollah from Damascus

So another words, Turkey is back on spot light thanks to House of Saud?

My brother told me once about MSM, that every writer has own agenda, and I am not quite sure what is Mr. Tariq Ali’s agenda, but for me he sounds not happy about any progress made by Middle East countries, and the idea that Turkey is back into the warm by the mercy of Saudi Arabia is just silly. We are talking about two countries who have been apart almost one hundred years, and the animosity and mistrust are still thriving, but Mr. Tariq Ali believes Turkey can be used as a puppet to soothe the Sunnis.
Turkey’s recent influence in the region has to do with alot about the country’s strategic and geographic place, and that you can call that a God’s Mercy.