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.

The Hanoi Summit

March 2, 2019 The three paragraphs below were among the conclusions I had drawn from the first Trump-Kim summit held in Singapore on June 12, 2018 (*): The Singapore summit marks the relaunching, under more favorable circumstances and with a … Continue reading

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

Confronting Terrorism and Islamic State’s Ideology

February 26, 2019 The following is among the permanent fixtures of UN Security Council resolutions on terrorism: “Emphasizing that terrorism and violent extremism conducive to terrorism cannot and should not be associated with any religion, nationality, or civilization…” The reality … Continue reading

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

IS Fighters’ Homecoming: Price for the Regime Change Project in Syria

February 22, 2019 The war in Syria appears to be coming to an end and the return of ISIS fighters and families to their countries is becoming a major issue. The UK is unwilling to agree to the return of … Continue reading

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

ISIS Fighters Going Home

February 19, 2019 The war in Syria appears to be coming to an end. During the past eight years it was migration which led to internal political challenges for European governments and to divisions within the EU. Now it is … Continue reading

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

Worlds Apart

February 15, 2019 Yesterday was Valentine’s Day, the day of romance. Not on the international scene. The two important international meetings held on that very day reflected two worlds apart: the anti-Iran Warsaw meeting in effect “led and co-chaired by … Continue reading

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

The War on Terror

February 12, 2019 Reaction to President Trump’s sudden announcement of troop pullout from Syria and the talks between Washington and the Taliban have reignited the debate on the war on terror. On February 3, the New York Times editorial titled … Continue reading

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

Crisis in Venezuela and Turkey

February 7, 2019 BBC’s country profile on Venezuela starts with the following: “Venezuela is a country of striking natural beauty, ranging from the snow-capped Andean peaks in the west, through the Amazonian jungles in the south, to the beaches of … Continue reading

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

Venezuelan Crisis: A Divided World and Turkey

January 30, 2019 A polarized Venezuela is in deep political, economic and humanitarian crisis. Hopefully, crisis would not turn into conflict. On the one side there is President Nicolas Maduro, his supporters, the military and on the other side the … Continue reading

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

Turkey’s Syria Labyrinth

January 25, 2019 After his remarks in Israel John Bolton’s visit to Turkey was doomed to failure. So, it was left to Senator Lindsey Graham to repair or at least control the damage. In Ankara, he publicly said everything possible … Continue reading

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

Middle East Stability Still Faraway

January 18, 2019 It has been a month since President Trump declared victory against ISIS in Syria and said US troops were returning home. It was only to be expected that the decision would lead to questions. Because, this was … Continue reading

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