Author Archives: Ali Tuygan

Unknown's avatar

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.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict, the Question of Crimea

April 4, 2022 On March 25, Russian General Staff deputy head Colonel General Sergey Rudskoy announced that the significant reduction of the Ukrainian military potential will now make it possible for Russia to concentrate on the main goal: the liberation … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Turkey’s Imperative to Restore Democratic Rule

March 31, 2022 In its early years, Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government launched an open-ended accession process with the EU. From day one, the process ran into difficulties because the EU countries behaved as if they regretted … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The War in Ukraine and West’s Summit Meetings

March 27, 2022 The following was my summing-up of the Ukraine conflict seven years ago: “News from Ukraine and Ukraine-related developments are not encouraging. The Minsk cease-fire remains fragile. Political and economic difficulties facing Ukraine show no sign of abating. … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Invasion of Ukraine, Another Challenge for the China-US Relationship

March 21, 2022 On March 18, Presidents Biden and Xi Jinping held a two-hour-long video conference. To put their meeting in perspective, one does not have to go back all the way to China’s “century of humiliation”, but a brief … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

President Putin Steps up the Assault on Ukraine

March 15, 2022 Western countries are experiencing a shock because it is for the first time since the end of the Second World War that the continent is witnessing a major armed conflict, the only exception being the break-up of … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Brinkmanship versus Diplomacy

March 9, 2022 Merriam-Webster defines “brinkmanship” as, “the art or practice of pushing a dangerous situation or confrontation to the limit of safety especially to force a desired outcome”, and “diplomacy” as “the art and practice of conducting negotiations between … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine: The Refugees

March 7, 2022 During the years following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Western countries failed to help Moscow chart a new path. Some former members of the Warsaw Pact, which had remained forcibly under communist regimes since the end … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine and the Montreux Convention

March 3, 2022 The Turkish Government has decided to close the Turkish Straits to all warships as a result of Russia’s military offensive against Ukraine. So, I thought that an updated version of a post I had written two years … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

March 1, 2022 In my last post, I said that President Putin would probably resist ordering a full-scale invasion of Ukraine because a bloody conflict will zero out his theory about the Russians and Ukrainians being one people. I proved … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Russia-Ukraine Crisis Episode 3

February 24, 2022 It started with satellite photos of the Russian military buildup near Ukraine in early November 2021. Ever since, Russia and the West have been fighting a war of nerves with frenetic diplomacy accompanied by mutual accusations of … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment