Category Archives: Uncategorized

Trump’s Decision to Withdraw from Syria

December 22, 2018 President Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria seems to have surprised even shocked many, particularly in Washington. His brief announcement left many questions unanswered. Had he been a consistent leader steering his administration in close … Continue reading

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The Imperative to Contain Middle East Conflicts

December 8, 2018 With rising but controlled tension over the Kerch Strait incident, a cancelled Trump-Putin meeting, uncertainty regarding U.S.-North Korea dialogue, the war in Yemen, continuing turmoil in the broad Middle East, U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA, the prospect … Continue reading

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Notes on the G20 Summit

December 3, 2018 The remedy to world’s problems is effective multilateralism. Since the U.N. resists reform and is dysfunctional, regular international gatherings of leading countries understandably create expectations. The G20 is such a group. Collectively, G20 members make up 85% … Continue reading

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Khashoggi, Turkey and the Yemen War

November 26, 2018 After “The End” in a movie comes the closing credits with the names of the director, writer, producer, leading cast, supporting cast, director of photography and others who have contributed to its making. “The End” in the … Continue reading

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The Path to Middle East Supremacy

November 20, 2018 Arab spring and the Syrian conflict have led some observers to look at Middle East developments through the prism of regional “rivalry” or “competition”. Countries generally mentioned are Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Israel is also prominently … Continue reading

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The Paris Get-together

November 14, 2018 What brought some sixty world leaders to France last week-end was the centenary of the end of the First World War. They were invited to take part not only in commemorative ceremonies but also to attend the … Continue reading

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Armistice Day and Ataturk

November 11, 2018 November 10, 2018 marked the 80th anniversary of Ataturk’s passing. Today marks the centenary of the Armistice signed between the Allies and Germany at Compiègne, France, ending the First World War. Eleven days before that, the Armistice … Continue reading

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Iran Sanctions

November 8, 2018 On November 2, 2018 Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin held an on-the-record briefing on Iran sanctions. The former said that these were part of the campaign aimed at depriving Tehran … Continue reading

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The Quadrilateral İstanbul Summit on Syria

October 29, 2018 At the end of September 2018, the Foreign Ministers of Egypt, France, Germany, Jordan, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom and the United States came together in New York and issued a statement. After repeating … Continue reading

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“Time heals what reason cannot.” SENECA

October 26, 2018 The website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs states the following on bilateral political relations between Turkey and Saudi Arabia: “Turkey has deep-rooted historical and cultural ties with Saudi Arabia and enjoys excellent relations in all fields … Continue reading

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