Wars and War Crimes

Posted on June 5, 2023 by Ali Tuygan

June 5, 2023

It has been a year and a half since Russia invaded Ukraine. Despite the havoc it has caused and the widespread resentment with its global impact, like many other wars, the world is getting used to living with it. Western statements of condemnation are becoming routine like those of the Kremlin drawing less attention than before, and President Zelensky probably has few other foreign parliaments to address. Moreover, missile and drone attacks on cities continue killing civilians including children, and Ukrainian children in occupied zones are reportedly being taken to Russia. But the order of the day remains strategic competition.

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Türkiye Chooses Authoritarian Rule Over Democracy

Posted on May 29, 2023 by Ali Tuygan

May 29, 2023

The title of my last post on Türkiye was “An Election to Determine Türkiye’s Identity and Future”. And these were my concluding remarks:

“Pablo Neruda once said, “You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep Spring from coming.”

“Let’s hope so…” [I]

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Strategic Competition vs. Ending the War in Ukraine

Posted on May 22, 2023 by Ali Tuygan

May 22, 2023

Soon after the Russian onslaught against Ukraine, most observers agreed that the conflict would gradually become a protracted war. In other words, the fighting would lose intensity, and perhaps ceasefires would be declared, only to be followed by allegations of their violation. As NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg said, it is absolutely possible that this war will drag on for months and years.

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President Assad’s Syria Back in the Arab League

Posted on May 8, 2023 by Ali Tuygan

May 8, 2023

Yesterday, following an extraordinary meeting in Cairo, the Arab League re-admitted Syria to its ranks after an 11-year absence. According to CNN, “Syria, from tonight, is a full member of the Arab League, and starting tomorrow they have the right to participate in any meeting. When the host nation, in this case, Saudi Arabia, sends the invitation, (Assad) can attend if he wishes to,” Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit told journalists. Moreover, the Arab League supports the “territorial integrity of Syria,” and the “withdrawal of all foreign forces” from the country said the Arab League statement.

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An Election to Determine Türkiye’s Identity and Future

Posted on May 4, 2023 by Ali Tuygan

May 4, 2023

On May 14, Türkiye will hold what can only be defined as “the last exit to democracy” presidential and parliamentary elections. The AKP has been in power for two decades. Its early years in power inspired cautious optimism. Its last decade in terms of foreign and security policy, domestic politics, independence of the judiciary, the economy, and Türkiye’s internal peace and unity has been a disaster. In brief, the people of Türkiye will give marks to the AKP government, and the people of the world will give marks to the people of Türkiye.

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The Limits of NATO’s Outreach

Posted on April 24, 2023 by Ali Tuygan

April 24, 2023

On April 7, a batch of classified documents detailing American national security secrets from Ukraine to the Middle East to China surfaced on social media sites. It caused a shock in Washington. The leaked documents contained some Ukrainian war plans and also an alarming assessment of Ukraine’s air defense. But they also revealed that the Russian military is struggling in its war in Ukraine.

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A Light Breeze of Change in the Middle East

Posted on April 17, 2023 by Ali Tuygan

April 17, 2023

On March 10, 2023, the “Joint Trilateral Statement by the People’s Republic of China, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Islamic Republic of Iran” was issued in Beijing. The Joint Statement started with a reference “to the noble initiative of President Xi Jinping and China’s support for developing good neighborly relations between the Kingdom and the Islamic Republic”. It then mentioned the gratitude of both parties to the Republic of Iraq and the Sultanate of Oman for hosting rounds of dialogue that took place between both sides during the years 2021-2022. The two sides also expressed their appreciation and gratitude to China for hosting and sponsoring the talks. Getting credit for peace-making in the Middle East is a noteworthy achievement.

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Europe-China Relations and the Macron Visit

Posted on April 10, 2023 by Ali Tuygan

April 10, 2023

On November 4, 2022, Chancellor Scholz paid an eleven-hour visit to Beijing with a group of top German business executives.  He was the first Western leader visit to China since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, and the first major political leader to meet Xi Jinping after the Chinese Communist Party Congress.[i] At the end of March 2023, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón visited China. He was followed by President Macron and the President of the European Commission von der Leyen last week.

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The Longest-serving …

Posted on April 3, 2023 by Ali Tuygan

April 3, 2023

Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher, and Tony Blair served as Prime Ministers for approximately 9, 12, and 10 years respectively. Are they on top of the list of longest-serving British leaders? No. Sir Robert Walpole, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Leader of the House of Commons, in other words, the de facto first Prime Minister of Great Britain. He remained in power for almost 22 years but that was in the mid-18th century.

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President Xi Jinping’s Visit to Russia

Posted on March 27, 2023 by Ali Tuygan

March 27, 2023

On June 14, 2021, Mr. Biden arrived in Brussels on his first trip to Europe as President. The Brussels Summit Communiqué issued by the NATO Heads of State and Government on that day broke new ground by mentioning China in a NATO public statement for the first time. It said, “China’s stated ambitions and assertive behavior present systemic challenges to the rules-based international order and areas relevant to Alliance security.”

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