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.

Ukraine: An Uncertain Cease-fire and Quasi Stability…

20 March 2015 It has been more than a month since Presidents Putin, Poroshenko, Hollande and Chancellor Merkel issued the “Declaration of Minsk in Support of the Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements” and reiterated their … Continue reading

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Syria Conflict Enters Its Fifth Year

17 March 2015 During the past four years of internal strife more than two hundred thousand Syrians lost their lives. Almost half the population is either internally displaced or living as refugees in neighboring countries. Homes and infrastructure are in … Continue reading

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Turkish-Israeli Relations: Deadlock Continues…

13 March 2015 Israel will hold elections on 17 March and Turkey on 7 June 2015. So this may be a good time to look at the relationship. Turkey and Israel enjoyed good relations for decades. For a long time, … Continue reading

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Polarization: The Greatest Challenge Facing the Middle East

10 March 2015 The irrefutable law of physics faces a severe challenge by an insuppressible rule of the sociopolitical order. While opposite poles attract each other under the former, they repel to a point of mutual destruction under the latter. … Continue reading

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Prime Minister Netanyahu on Iran

6 March 2015 I watched PM Netanyahu’s address to Congress. I also read the transcript. What he said on Iran was hardly different from his UN General Assembly speech of 29 September 2014. It was the controversial nature of his … Continue reading

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Turkey-US-Assad-ISIL: The Vicious Circle

2 March 2015 In Turkey, what political leaders say carries weight for a day. This is because they speak almost every day; address big crowds probably every couple of days. Public memory cannot cope. The language they use is, more … Continue reading

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Turkey’s Security Challenges

1 March 2015 Turkey‘s security challenges have always been diverse and tough. During the Cold War Turkey was NATO’s southern flank and shouldered heavy defense responsibilities. When the Cold War was over, Turkey found itself in the middle of three … Continue reading

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Turkey’s Military Incursion into Syria

24 February 201 Two days ago a large Turkish military column entered Syria to bring back to Turkey the remains of Suleyman Shah and evacuate the some 40 soldiers guarding his tomb. Suleyman Shah was the grandfather of the founder … Continue reading

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Dealing with ISIL

21 February 2015 The US is constantly trying to promote the impression that there is indeed a broad and solid coalition determined to “degrade and defeat” ISIL. The reality is somewhat different. For the time being all we have is … Continue reading

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The Loss of Debaltseve

20 February 2015 The failure to declare an “immediate” cease-fire at the end of the last round of what one may call the “Minsk Process” was not a good sign. The fact that the “Package of Measures for the Implementation … Continue reading

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