Tag Archives: Ataturk

Turkey’s Polarization Continues Unabated

Posted on July 27, 2020 by Ali Tuygan

July 27, 2020 The sermon delivered by Professor Ali Erbaş, the President of Turkish Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet), at the opening of Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque has rightly aroused indignation, anger among those who remain attached to Turkey’s founding principles … Continue reading →

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The Hagia Sophia: Balance Sheet of the Past Week

Posted on July 19, 2020 by Ali Tuygan

July 19, 2020 It has been a week since the Hagia Sophia was reconverted to a mosque through the annulment of the government decree of 1935 which had turned it into a museum. The change was presented as an auspicious … Continue reading →

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Turkish-French Tensions Over Libya

Posted on June 29, 2020 by Ali Tuygan

June 29, 2020 Two weeks ago, France accused Turkey of harassing a French frigate off the coast of Libya while it carried out checks on a Turkish ship that it suspected of breaking the UN arms embargo. Turkey denied the … Continue reading →

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The Montreux Convention: Russia’s Perspective

Posted on January 28, 2020 by Ali Tuygan

January 28, 2020 “Canal İstanbul”, first introduced to the public as a “crazy project” by Turkey’s Justice and Development Party (JDP) Government, has become the subject of an increasingly heated discussion. Among the various aspects of the project currently debated … 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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Fighting for Survival?

Posted on May 22, 2019 by Ali Tuygan

  May 22, 2019 Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party’s (JDP) principal theme in the recent municipal election campaign was “the fight for Turkey’s survival”. The party and its supporters in the media claimed that Turkey was under the siege … Continue reading →

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Counting and Recounting …

Posted on April 7, 2019 by Ali Tuygan

April 7, 2019 On March 31 Turkey had municipal elections. The result was a yellow card for the government. However, the ruling Justice and Development Party (JDP) immediately asked for recounts in Ankara and İstanbul where, according to initial figures, … Continue reading →

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2018 In Retrospect

Posted on December 25, 2018 by Ali Tuygan

December 25, 2018 It has been a chaotic year with no or little progress in overcoming world’s outstanding challenges: U.S.-Russia tensions, Middle East turmoil with numerous sub-titles, Ukraine conflict, the future of the JCPOA, North Korea’s nuclear program, migration, trade … Continue reading →

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Armistice Day and Ataturk

Posted on November 11, 2018 by Ali Tuygan

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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Turkey’s Troubled Relations with Europe

Posted on August 15, 2016 by Ali Tuygan

August 15, 2016 In retrospect, one of EU’s major foreign and security policy mistakes was the blunting of whatever momentum Turkey’s accession process had. It goes without saying that this was also Turkey’s failure. Had both sides acted with foresight, … Continue reading →

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