Category Archives: Uncategorized

“The End” for the Tanker Crisis?

Posted on September 12, 2019 by Ali Tuygan

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 →

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Iranian Diplomacy at Work

Posted on August 27, 2019 by Ali Tuygan

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 →

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Turkey’s Syria Labyrinth (2)

Posted on August 19, 2019 by Ali Tuygan

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 →

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History Will Judge Them Harshly

Posted on August 6, 2019 by Ali Tuygan

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 →

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Quo Vadis Turkey (3)

Posted on July 29, 2019 by Ali Tuygan

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 →

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Gulf Crisis Reaching the Mediterranean

Posted on July 22, 2019 by Ali Tuygan

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 →

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Turkey’s Foreign and Security Policy Quandary

Posted on July 16, 2019 by Ali Tuygan

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 →

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Dangers of Overreach

Posted on July 10, 2019 by Ali Tuygan

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 →

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U.S. Policy Toward North Korea and Iran

Posted on July 3, 2019 by Ali Tuygan

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 →

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Deal of the Century First Episode: Disappointment

Posted on June 28, 2019 by Ali Tuygan

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 →

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