Monthly Archives: March 2017

Raqqa, Mosul and Secretary Tillerson’s Visit to Ankara

Posted on March 31, 2017 by

March 31, 2017 The third Astana meeting on Syria ended two weeks ago, without any progress after the opposition boycotted the meeting. Russia, Turkey and Iran, guarantors of the ceasefire regime, issued a joint statement in which they underlined the … Continue reading →

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Moving Toward Unsplendid Isolation

Posted on March 27, 2017 by

March 27, 2017 Turkish government’s “zero problems with neighbors” policy was nothing but a public relations stunt. Its “regime change Syria” project has turned into a major foreign and security policy disaster, as predicted. At present, Ankara’s relations with Washington … Continue reading →

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Turkey’s Confrontational Relationship with the European Union

Posted on March 20, 2017 by

March 20, 2017 Years ago, the political director of the ministry asked me to draft a “Turkish foreign policy” speech for the minister. I prepared a draft, he went over it and we took it to the minister who read … Continue reading →

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Turkey’s Foreign and Security Policy in Disarray

Posted on March 14, 2017 by

March 14, 2017 First, it was “zero problems with neighbors”. Then, it was regime change in Syria. Ankara was so determined that it shot down a Russian fighter-jet provoking a major crisis with Moscow. In May 2016, following an unavoidable … Continue reading →

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Turkey’s Latest Spat with Germany

Posted on March 6, 2017 by

March 6, 2017 With three million Turks, Germany is home to more Turks than any other country. There are also fifteen thousand Germans who have settled in Turkey’s coastal regions. In 2015, before the fallout of the Syrian conflict dealt … Continue reading →

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