Tag Archives: EU

The Middle East Dimension of the Standoff at the Belarus-Poland Border

Posted on November 15, 2021 by Ali Tuygan

November 15, 2021 The standoff over migrants on NATO’s and the European Union’s eastern flank is turning into a wider political conflict. For Belarus’s EU  neighbors this is a deliberate retaliation for EU sanctions. Ukraine is reinforcing border guards to … 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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2019: The Year in Review

Posted on December 22, 2019 by Ali Tuygan

December 22, 2019 During the past year, climate change, corruption, street protests, polarization and disarray in the West dominated the global agenda. Frequent fires are part of California’s natural state but since the 1970s, the amount of area burned in … 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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The US Withdraws from the Iran Nuclear Deal

Posted on May 9, 2018 by Ali Tuygan

May 9, 2018 Yesterday President Trump announced that he is terminating United States’ participation in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran and re-imposing sanctions lifted under the deal. From the very beginning of his presidency Mr. Trump … Continue reading →

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And the Loser Is…

Posted on March 7, 2018 by Ali Tuygan

March 7, 2018 The world is in disarray. The Arab Spring threw the Middle East in chaos. Then came the Ukraine conflict and Russia’s annexation of Crimea. As the Syrian conflict moved up on the international agenda the former receded. … Continue reading →

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2017: Another Year of Turmoil

Posted on December 20, 2017 by Ali Tuygan

  December 20, 2017 The following is from my summing-up of the year 2016 (*): “The Ukraine conflict has led many analysts to frequently mention President Putin’s unpredictable tactics and actions if not policies. With Mr. Trump in the White … Continue reading →

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Synopsis: Turkey’s Foreign Relations

Posted on February 16, 2016 by Ali Tuygan

February 16, 2016 This is an attempt to describe, as briefly as possible, state of Turkey’s foreign relations. US-Turkey: Exasperation. Russia-Turkey: For the optimist the word of choice could be “tension”, for the pessimist “enmity”. China-Turkey: Apprehension. NATO-Turkey: Mistrust. EU-Turkey: … Continue reading →

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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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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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