Category Archives: Uncategorized

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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The Loss of Debaltseve

Posted on February 19, 2015 by Ali Tuygan

20 February 2015 The failure to declare an “immediate” cease-fire at the end of the last round of what one may call the “Minsk Process” was not a good sign. The fact that the “Package of Measures for the Implementation … Continue reading →

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Minsk III

Posted on February 13, 2015 by Ali Tuygan

13 February 2015 At the end of meeting in the Belarusian capital, 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”. They reiterated … Continue reading →

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Iran at Crossroads

Posted on February 12, 2015 by Ali Tuygan

12 February 2015 Iran is a country with an impressive historical and cultural heritage. It has rich natural resources, a strategic location and a population of 76 million. Following the ousting of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979, Iran’s principal concern … Continue reading →

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Western Response to Escalation in Ukraine

Posted on February 7, 2015 by Ali Tuygan

7 February 2015 A group of distinguished scholars and former practitioners from the Atlantic Council, the Brookings Institution, the Center for a New American Security, and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs have recently published a report (*) which outlines … Continue reading →

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Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Middle East Fratricide

Posted on February 7, 2015 by Ali Tuygan

7 February 2015 According to OIC’s official website, the Organization and its Secretary General issued twelve statements of condemnation during the past month. Five of these were related to developments in non-OIC countries such as the terrorist attack on Charlie … Continue reading →

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Quo Vadis Turkey?

Posted on February 3, 2015 by Ali Tuygan

3 February 2015 Turkey’s traditional foreign policy, bitterly criticized by the present Government for having betrayed Turkey’s potential, stood on pillars. Our relations with the United States and the European Union constituted the first two. A third one was our … Continue reading →

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President Obama and the Middle East

Posted on January 31, 2015 by Ali Tuygan

1 February 2015 Five speeches delivered by President Obama are important to understanding his approach to the Middle East. These are: • Remarks to the Turkish Parliament (6 April 2009), • Remarks at the Cairo University where he addressed Moslem … Continue reading →

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Breach of Protocol

Posted on January 30, 2015 by Ali Tuygan

30 January 2015 It would not be surprising that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s upcoming visit to Washington should remain a cause for controversy up to and even beyond the Israeli elections scheduled for 17 March 2015. As a former diplomat I … Continue reading →

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