Tag Archives: Blinken

The Middle East Sending Reminders

February 6, 2023 At the end of January Secretary of State Blinken visited Egypt where he met with Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and President El-Sisi. His remarks there were full of praise for Egypt and the strategic partnership between the … Continue reading

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The War in Ukraine and Turkey’s Relations with NATO Allies

April 27, 2022 On Monday, April 25, following their visit to Kyiv, Secretaries Blinken and Austin spoke to the traveling press. They were asked the following question: “… do you see a scenario where international support enables Ukraine to avoid … Continue reading

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Russia’s Indiscriminate Attacks Spark Outrage

April 11, 2022  On April 5, 2022, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed that assertions of “war crimes” are a pretext to torpedo the ongoing negotiations at a time when some light, however dim, has appeared at the end of the … Continue reading

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The Taliban are Back (2)

August 16, 2021 The principal challenge in Afghanistan has always been Afghan groups forging a united front not only to fight tribalism, warlordism and corruption but also to achieve better governance. The country has remained divided on ethnic, sectarian, and … Continue reading

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“No Military Solution”

August 9, 2021 In the past decade, the phrase “no military solution to the conflict” became a diplomatic cliché. In November 2013, speaking to the BBC  about the situation in Syria, Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad said that there is no … Continue reading

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Turkey’s New Refugee Challenge

August 4, 2021 In my last post, dated August 2, I said that the increasing number of Afghans crossing into Turkey from Iran leads one to question whether the Kabul subcontract is just about the airport or more. Later in … Continue reading

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Secretary Blinken’s Middle East Tour

May 31, 2021 On April 29, 2018, Mike Pompeo made his first visit to Israel as Secretary of State. This is how Prime Minister Netanyahu started off their joint press conference: “Secretary Pompeo, it’s wonderful to welcome you. “This is … Continue reading

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China and the US: A Competitive Relationship (2)

March 20, 2021 No one hoped for a breakthrough at the US-China talks in Anchorage. And only a few might have expected the talks to start with such an exchange of sharp rebukes. After all this was the first high-level … Continue reading

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China and the US: A Competitive Relationship

March 16, 2021 Following the Second World War, the standoff between the US and Russia, NATO and the Warsaw Pact was called the Cold War. Nonetheless, in 1969, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty was signed. The same year, Strategic Arms Limitation … Continue reading

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Iran Nuclear Deal: A Tough Path Ahead

Co-authored with Yusuf Buluc (*) February 1, 2021 From the very beginning of his presidency Mr. Trump’s principal foreign policy target was the Iran nuclear deal, described by many as his predecessor’s “signature achievement”. Thus, the US announced its withdrawal … Continue reading

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