Category Archives: Uncategorized

Turkish Foreign Policy in a Blind Alley

Posted on March 25, 2015 by Ali Tuygan

25 March 2015 It was only a decade ago that Turkey, in recognition of its commitment to continuing political and economic reform, was given green light to start accession negotiations with the EU. Peoples of the region were following the … Continue reading →

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Ukraine: An Uncertain Cease-fire and Quasi Stability…

Posted on March 20, 2015 by Ali Tuygan

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

Posted on March 17, 2015 by Ali Tuygan

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…

Posted on March 13, 2015 by Ali Tuygan

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

Posted on March 10, 2015 by Ali Tuygan

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

Posted on March 6, 2015 by Ali Tuygan

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

Posted on March 2, 2015 by Ali Tuygan

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

Posted on March 1, 2015 by Ali Tuygan

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

Posted on February 24, 2015 by Ali Tuygan

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

Posted on February 21, 2015 by Ali Tuygan

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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