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.

Sinking Deeper into the Syrian Quagmire

October 8, 2019 Turkey’s participation in the regime change project in Syria was a huge foreign and security policy mistake. Yes, there were many other countries which took part but none of them shared a 910-kilometer border with Syria. The … Continue reading

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

The Attack on Saudi Arabia’s Oil Facilities

October 7, 2019 Following the September 14 attack on two of Saudi Arabia’s major oil facilities, country’s leadership blamed Iran. US Secretary of State Pompeo tweeted, “Tehran is behind nearly 100 attacks on Saudi Arabia while Rouhani and Zarif pretend … Continue reading

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

74th UNGA: A Sad Day for Democracy

September 26, 2019 What attracts global attention at UNGA’s annual plenary sessions is the first week of general debate since it serves as a top forum for leaders to address the world. Tuesday, September 24 was the first day of … Continue reading

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

Never a Day of Peace

September 24, 2019 With the release by Iran of Stena Tempero on Monday, the tanker dispute between Iran and the UK reached its easily predictable conclusion. But the Middle East just can’t offer its peoples a chance to breathe a … Continue reading

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

Chaos Reigns as the 74th UNGA Opens

September 16, 2019 The 74th regular Session of the UN General Assembly opens tomorrow in the wake of the drone attacks which knocked out more than half of Saudi Arabia’s oil output raising the risk of further regional confrontation. It … Continue reading

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

“The End” for the Tanker Crisis?

September 12, 2019 Two days ago, the Guardian reported that White House national security adviser John Bolton “an ultra-hawk on foreign policy who under George Bush was a key architect of the invasion of Iraq in 2003” was fired by … Continue reading

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

Iranian Diplomacy at Work

August 27, 2019 Last Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif made an unexpected visit to Biarritz during the G7 summit. There he met with President Macron and had extensive talks with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian. He later shared … Continue reading

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

Turkey’s Syria Labyrinth (2)

August 19, 2019 In early August, American and Turkish military delegations met in Ankara to discuss plans to coordinate the establishment of a safe zone in northern Syria. A joint statement issued at the end of the talks said they … Continue reading

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

History Will Judge Them Harshly

August 6, 2019 In a couple of years, the world could well be speaking of a decade of conflict in Syria in which regional and external powers were involved either directly or through proxies. The Islamic State remains a threat. … Continue reading

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

Quo Vadis Turkey (3)

Co-authored with Yusuf Buluc (*) July 29, 2019 A year ago, if one were patient enough to draw up a list of the problems on the Turkish-American agenda this would have reflected a relationship not between NATO allies or family … Continue reading

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