The remaining American troops will be out of Iraq by the end of the year, and you thus wonder about the fate of the Middle East (“The Wretched Middle East,” December 10, 2011). Now that America has turned its gaze to Asia, the only remaining buttress of its policy in the region is Turkey. As you point out, its influence is growing. As a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and as an old American ally, Turkey is expected to play an important rôle in the Middle East. Of course, Iran is a growing menace, and especially to Israel. Only America can do anything about it, but Asia is firmly in its focus nonetheless. True enough. The only thing conspicuously missing from your account of the region’s woes is the European Union. Given that it is giving Turkey’s bid for accession a cold shoulder, it is missing much more perilously than you care to comment. In a nutshell, the Union is behaving as though it is perfectly alone in paradise.