We used to have state anarchists. Now we have geopolitical anarchists who sort countries into two rigid camps and copy conflicts from one place to another, as if every nation must follow the same script. Social media algorithms reward the manufactured drama, but Somaliland should not inherit it.
The Israeli strike on Syria's Abu al-Duhur airbase, which Israel said was intended to prevent a Turkish deployment, is a warning. Turkey condemned the attack on a country already devastated by years of conflict, foreign intervention and competing geopolitical interests. Syrians deserve stability, sovereignty and the chance to rebuild without remaining an arena for outside rivalry.
Israel's security perspective also deserves a fair hearing. Erdoğan's repeated description of Israel as a terrorist state, his support for Hamas and his warnings of intervention on behalf of Palestinians make Israeli officials take Ankara's regional role seriously. A Turkish military foothold in Syria could place a hostile force near Israel under a leader who has questioned its legitimacy. That explains the fear without justifying attacks on Syrian territory or permanent rivalry there.
Somaliland is geographically and politically different from Syria, far from Turkey and Israel's immediate security tensions. Kenya and Ethiopia offer the more useful comparison, since both maintain diplomatic relations with Turkey and Israel, allowing competition and cooperation without becoming proxy battlefields. Somaliland wants the same diplomacy, trade and peaceful competition. Treating every relationship as a proxy contest is not analysis. It is a way of manufacturing anarchy from distance.
Israel's recognition of Somaliland as an independent state will always give the relationship a special place. It also gives Israel a responsibility to help widen Somaliland's diplomatic options, including Turkish engagement. Nothing in Turkish interests fundamentally contradicts recognition; Ankara supports Somalia's position for now, but positions can change with international reality. Somaliland's thirty five year test drive has shown that its political reality cannot be ignored.
The moment the United States recognises Somaliland, Turkey will have a reasonable diplomatic exit. Ankara can say it tried to preserve the old arrangement, but the international reality has changed and it is time to move forward. That would not require abandoning Somalia. Turkey could work with two separate entities and maintain good relations with both, because recognition is not a group order. Each country can decide what serves its interests.
The same recipe applies in the Middle East. While everyone is stuck in fight or flight mode, accepting each other's sovereignty would let all parties pursue peaceful competition.