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.

Gulf Crisis Reaching the Mediterranean

July 22, 2019 On July 4, British Royal Marines seized near Gibraltar the supertanker Grace 1 suspected of carrying Iranian oil to Syria. This was the first such detention of a ship under the European sanctions targeting supplies to Syria. … Continue reading

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

Turkey’s Foreign and Security Policy Quandary

July 16, 2019 On July 5, The Atlantic published an article by Thomas Wright, Senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. The title was “Trump Couldn’t Ignore the Contradictions of His Foreign Policy Any Longer”. (*) The article provides interesting insight … Continue reading

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

Dangers of Overreach

July 10, 2019 Seven years ago, Ankara was partnering with Western countries and some Gulf states for regime change in Syria. Leaders of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (JDP) were claiming that this was going to be accomplished within … Continue reading

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

U.S. Policy Toward North Korea and Iran

July 3, 2019 On April 27, 2018 North Korean leader Kim Jong-un crossed the line that has divided the Korean Peninsula for the last 65 years, for a historic summit with President Moon Jae-in. The two leaders signed the three-page … Continue reading

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

Deal of the Century First Episode: Disappointment

June 28, 2019 On June 22, the White House released the first of a two-part Middle East peace plan, “the deal of the century”. Three days later, in Bahrain, President Trump’s senior adviser Jared Kushner presented the administration’s vision of … Continue reading

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

A Sigh of Relief for Now

June 23, 2019 Everybody knew this was a landmark election, the last exit on the road authoritarian rule. And finally, the people of Turkey, for a multitude of reasons including their disapproval of the annulment of the March 31 Istanbul … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Time to Launch “Operation Enduring Diplomacy”

June 18, 2019 Two oil tankers were attacked in the Gulf of Oman. Washington holds Iran responsible. Iran denies the charge. While some observers draw attention to the possible role of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps in the attacks, others draw … Continue reading

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

Turkey’s S400s/F35s Conundrum

  June 14, 2019 The last episode of the S400 missiles/F35 fighters controversy has taken Turkey-US relations to unprecedented lows. Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan sent a letter to his Turkish counterpart. For some, this was an “ultimatum”.  Ankara’s earlier … Continue reading

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

Closing of Ranks in the East, Disarray in the West

June 7, 2019 In the West, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Venezuela and Jared Kushner’s Middle East peace plan took a back seat during the week. It was President Trump who dominated the headlines. Attention initially focused on the jabs he took … Continue reading

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

The Mecca Summits

June 2, 2019 The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held summit meetings in Mecca last week. All three were chaired by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman. The … Continue reading

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