Category Archives: Uncategorized

The Arab Spring Nine Years On

Posted on December 2, 2019 by Ali Tuygan

  December 2, 2019 The Arab Spring began on December 17, 2010 in Tunisia as street vendor Mohammed Bouazizi set himself on fire to protest the arbitrary seizing of his vegetable stand by police. Mass protests forced President Zine El … Continue reading →

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Lessons from the Impeachment Inquiry

Posted on November 23, 2019 by Ali Tuygan

Co-authored with Yusuf Buluc (*) November 23, 2019 As the US House Intelligence Committee continued with its impeachment hearings, NATO foreign ministers met in Brussels in preparation for the summit which will take place on December 3-4 in London to … Continue reading →

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A Frank Exchange of Views

Posted on November 14, 2019 by Ali Tuygan

November 14, 2019 On Wednesday, President Erdoğan made his long-anticipated visit to Washington. At the White House, he met not only with President Trump but also senators Joni Ernst, Jim Risch, Ted Cruz, Rick Scott and Lindsey Graham, one of … Continue reading →

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The Visit

Posted on November 11, 2019 by Ali Tuygan

November 11, 2019 On Wednesday, President Erdoğan will be in Washington. In the past, Turkish diplomacy did its best for such high-level visits to underline the importance of the relationship. Aware of the respect the US pays to the separation … Continue reading →

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The Spiraling Cost of Turkey’s Regime Change Project in Syria

Posted on November 1, 2019 by Ali Tuygan

November 1, 2019 The signing of the Treaty of Lausanne on July 24, 1923 was the crowning achievement of Turkey’s War of Independence under Ataturk’s leadership. Soon after, Republic was declared and Turkey’s modernization began. Ataturk’s reforms included the emancipation … Continue reading →

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A Shift Towards Diplomacy in Syria

Posted on October 24, 2019 by Ali Tuygan

October 24, 2019 It has been two tumultuous weeks starting with President Trump’s decision to withdraw US troops from Syria, immediately followed by the launching of Operation Peace Spring, Vice President Pence’s visit to Ankara on October 17,  President Erdoğan’s … Continue reading →

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The Pause

Posted on October 18, 2019 by Ali Tuygan

October 18, 2019 Yesterday, Turkey and the US agreed that the Turkish side will pause Operation Peace Spring in order to allow the withdrawal of YPG from the safe zone within 120 hours. They also concurred that the operation would … Continue reading →

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Turkey’s Incursion in Syria

Posted on October 14, 2019 by Ali Tuygan

October 14, 2019 Tomorrow, it will be a week since the launching of “Operation Peace Spring”. International reaction to the operation is negative to say the least. One can count on the fingers of one hand the number of countries … Continue reading →

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Sinking Deeper into the Syrian Quagmire

Posted on October 8, 2019 by Ali Tuygan

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 →

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The Attack on Saudi Arabia’s Oil Facilities

Posted on October 7, 2019 by Ali Tuygan

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 →

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