Tag Archives: Turkey

The Hagia Sophia

Posted on July 10, 2020 by Ali Tuygan

July 10, 2020 “Turkey is a bridge between East and West” is a widely used metaphor to define not only Turkey’s location between Asia and Europe but also its history, identity, culture with its blessings and contradictions. The city of … Continue reading →

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Sad Times for Democracy

Posted on July 5, 2020 by Ali Tuygan

July 5, 2020 China had a two-term limit on its president since the 1990s. Xi Jinping became president in 2012. In April this year, the National People’s Congress approved the removal the two-term limit, effectively allowing him to “remain in … 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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An Ultimatum That Boomeranged

Posted on March 3, 2020 by Ali Tuygan

(Co-authored with Yusuf Buluç)[i] The people of Turkey held their breath on the eve of the deadline set in the ultimatum  President Erdoğan served on the Syrian regime promising severe military punishment if  its forces  were not to withdraw to … Continue reading →

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Turkey’s Narrowing Horizons

Posted on February 27, 2020 by Ali Tuygan

February 27, 2020 In the fall of 1966, I took a series of exams to join the Turkish Foreign Ministry. Among other things, we were asked to comment on a widely used metaphor, “Turkey is a bridge between East and … 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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Turkey-US Relations: The Downturn Continues

Posted on December 15, 2019 by Ali Tuygan

December 15, 2019 On October 29, Turkish National Day, the US House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to formally recognize the “Armenian genocide”. The Senate voted unanimously on Thursday for the same resolution. Lawmakers in the Senate and the House are … Continue reading →

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The Spiraling Cost of Turkey’s Regime Change Project in Syria

Posted on November 1, 2019 by Ali Tuygan

November 1, 2019 The signing of the Treaty of Lausanne on July 24, 1923 was the crowning achievement of Turkey’s War of Independence under Ataturk’s leadership. Soon after, Republic was declared and Turkey’s modernization began. Ataturk’s reforms included the emancipation … Continue reading →

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A Sigh of Relief for Now

Posted on June 23, 2019 by Ali Tuygan

June 23, 2019 Everybody knew this was a landmark election, the last exit on the road authoritarian rule. And finally, the people of Turkey, for a multitude of reasons including their disapproval of the annulment of the March 31 Istanbul … Continue reading →

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The Mecca Summits

Posted on June 2, 2019 by Ali Tuygan

June 2, 2019 The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held summit meetings in Mecca last week. All three were chaired by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman. The … Continue reading →

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