Author Archives: Ali Tuygan

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About Ali Tuygan

Ali Tuygan is a graduate of the Faculty of Political Sciences of Ankara University. He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in January 1967. Between various positions in Ankara, he served at the Turkish Embassy in Brussels, NATO International Staff, Turkish Embassies in Washington and Baghdad, and the Turkish Delegation to NATO. From 1986 to 1989 he was the Principal Private Secretary to the President of the Republic. He then served as ambassador to Ottawa, Riyadh, and Athens. In 1997 he was honored with a decoration by the Italian President. Between these assignments abroad he served twice as Deputy Undersecretary for Political Affairs. In 2004 he was appointed Undersecretary where he remained until the end of 2006 before going to his last foreign assignment as Ambassador to UNESCO. He retired in 2009. In April 2013 he published a book entitled “Gönüllü Diplomat, Dışişlerinde Kırk Yıl” (“Diplomat by Choice, Forty Years in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs”) in which he elaborated on the diplomatic profession and the main issues on the global agenda. He has published articles in Turkish periodicals and newspapers.

The “Pause”

April 13, 2026 Last Tuesday, Washington and Tehran agreed, through Pakistan’s mediation, to stop fighting for two weeks. The term used to define the “agreement” was “ceasefire,” often accompanied by the adjective “temporary.” Another word that goes a step beyond … Continue reading

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The Imperative of Dialogue

April 6, 2026 As recent polls in the US show, the majority of Americans oppose sending US ground troops into Iran and wish Washington to end the war quickly, even if that means not achieving the goals set out by … Continue reading

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The West in a Leadership Crisis

March 30, 2026 Last Saturday, the war in Iran entered its second month. During the past four weeks, the only European leader to object to the attacks on Iran was Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. He issued a clear and … Continue reading

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Iran War, A New Strain on Transatlantic Relations

March 23, 2026 With Trump’s second term in the White House, transatlantic relations entered challenging times. First came his largely understandable criticism of the European contribution to common defense, to which Europeans responded by committing to raising defense spending from … Continue reading

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Anniversary of the Invasion of Iraq and the Attack on Libya

March 20, 2026 Today marks a somber double anniversary in Middle Eastern history: 23 years since the 2003 invasion of Iraq and 15 years since the UK, US, and French intervention against Muammar Gaddafi’s forces in Libya. Years later, the … Continue reading

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Europe in a Bind

March 16, 2026 European leaders met in Berlin on August 12, 2025, two days before the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska. They issued a statement affirming that the people of Ukraine must have the freedom to decide their future and that … Continue reading

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Operation Regime Change (2)

March 9, 2026 On March 1, the next day of the US-Israeli attack on Iran, President Trump stated that the US military intends to sustain its assault on Iran for “four to five weeks” if necessary, insisting that it “won’t … Continue reading

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Operation Regime Change

March 2, 2026 In the 2012 presidential elections, Hassan Rouhani was elected with a very carefully worded program of change. The President and Foreign Minister Javad Zarif appeared to agree that confrontation with the West over the nuclear program was … Continue reading

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A New Round of Talks or Military Strikes?

February 25, 2026 Yesterday, February 24, marked the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began Europe’s bloodiest conflict since the Second World War. Tomorrow, the Iranian and US delegations will meet again in Geneva. The question is … Continue reading

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The Munich Security Conference

February 18, 2026 The 62nd  Munich Security Conference took place from February 13 to 15, 2026. With the war in Ukraine and strains in transatlantic relations, the conference attracted global attention. Starting with Chancellor Merz, as the leader of the … Continue reading

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