Category Archives: Uncategorized

The Khashoggi Tragedy: Waiting for “The End”

Posted on October 17, 2018 by Ali Tuygan

October 17, 2018 Two weeks after Jamal Khashoggi disappeared, the Turkish-Saudi “working group” finally searched the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, the scene of the alleged crime. On Monday, President Trump had a telephone conversation with King Salman and decided to … Continue reading →

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The Khashoggi Tragedy

Posted on October 12, 2018 by Ali Tuygan

October 12, 2018 Jamal Khashoggi’s abduction/murder mystery must have been a nightmare for Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (JDP) leadership. During the last ten years few foreign leaders have been spared from their personal attacks in times of discord. … Continue reading →

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Syria’s Uncertain Future

Posted on October 3, 2018 by Ali Tuygan

October 3, 2018 On September 27, 2018, the Foreign Ministers of Egypt, France, Germany, Jordan, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom and the United States, members of the “Small Group on Syria” issued a statement. After repeating for … Continue reading →

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U.S. Senate’s Judiciary Committee Hearings

Posted on September 30, 2018 by Ali Tuygan

September 30, 2018 Couple of weeks in the Turkish resort town of Bodrum is a wonderful break for those who can’t help being preoccupied with Turkey’s polarized internal politics and continuing regional turbulence. Yes, there was the United Nations General … Continue reading →

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The Idlib Challenge and the Sochi Summit

Posted on September 18, 2018 by Ali Tuygan

September 18, 2018 On September 17, 2018, Presidents Putin and Erdoğan met in Sochi. On top of their agenda was Idlib. This is what President Putin said at the joint press conference following the talks: “We reviewed the situation in … Continue reading →

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Yemen’s Ordeal Continues

Posted on September 16, 2018 by Ali Tuygan

September 16, 2018 The Saudi-led intervention in Yemen is now in its fourth year. On April 24, 2015 Saudi Arabia announced that “Operation Decisive Storm” had achieved its objective and priority would now shift to rebuilding the country and political … Continue reading →

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The Idlib Challenge and the Tehran Summit

Posted on September 9, 2018 by Ali Tuygan

September 9, 2018 The much-awaited Tehran meeting between Iranian, Russian and Turkish Presidents, generally viewed as the “Idlib Summit”, has ended with a Joint Statement on Syria (*). Paragraph 2 of the Statement emphasizes the three Presidents’ commitment to the … Continue reading →

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The Passing of Senator McCain

Posted on September 3, 2018 by Ali Tuygan

September 3, 2018 John McCain, a Vietnam War hero, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona in 1982 and elected to the Senate in 1986. As President Obama mentioned at his memorial service last Saturday, the Senator … Continue reading →

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The Idlib Challenge (2)

Posted on August 27, 2018 by Ali Tuygan

August 27, 2018 Since the very beginning of the Syrian conflict there have been three stumbling blocks before a political settlement: Breaking the deadlock over President Assad’s future; Persuading the external/regional backers of Damascus and the opposition to give their … Continue reading →

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Time to Get a Grip

Posted on August 20, 2018 by Ali Tuygan

August 20, 2018 When President Obama’s visited Turkey in April 2009 he underlined Turkey’s “strong, vibrant, secular democracy”. Turkish-American relations appeared to have reached their peak. As Turkey started to move away from the democratic path relations started to sour … Continue reading →

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