Tag Archives: Turkey

Times of Trouble

March 23, 2025 When addressing international questions in my posts, I generally conclude by saying, “As for Türkiye,” and share a few observations on my country’s current challenges. Today, I would reverse the order and briefly start with Türkiye because … Continue reading

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Türkiye Must Have a Foreign Policy Review

October 3, 2024 Ankara’s foreign policy of the past fifteen years is a story of extreme rhetoric, defiance, and inconsistencies. Every country can make reasonable adjustments to its foreign policy. But if U-turns become a pattern, this signals a lack … Continue reading

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Türkiye Chooses Authoritarian Rule Over Democracy

May 29, 2023 The title of my last post on Türkiye was “An Election to Determine Türkiye’s Identity and Future”. And these were my concluding remarks: “Pablo Neruda once said, “You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep … Continue reading

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An Election to Determine Türkiye’s Identity and Future

May 4, 2023 On May 14, Türkiye will hold what can only be defined as “the last exit to democracy” presidential and parliamentary elections. The AKP has been in power for two decades. Its early years in power inspired cautious … Continue reading

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Türkiye’s Zeitenwende

March 7, 2023 On February 6, 2023, two major earthquakes struck southern and central Turkey and northern and western Syria. The international media correctly referred to them as the “Turkey-Syria earthquakes”. But for those familiar with the downturn relations between … Continue reading

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Toward an Inflection Point

November 28, 2022 President Erdogan’s handshake with President al-Sisi has once again triggered criticism about the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) leadership’s foreign policy U-turns. On the list were the relations with the UAE, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. … Continue reading

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Global Uncertainty Continues

October 31, 2022 This was a revealing month for the world. In Beijing, President Xi Jinping presented to the Chinese Party Congress the report of the Central Committee in a two-hour-long speech.[i] Having secured a third five-year term as president, … Continue reading

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Time to End the War of Words between Greece and Turkey (*)

September 12, 2022 For decades, since the days of Atatürk and Venizelos, Greek-Turkish relations have been characterized by a roller coaster pattern. Between the years 1997 and 2001, I was the Turkish ambassador in Athens. For a Turkish diplomat serving … Continue reading

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Water Disputes Reaching the Clouds

September 5, 2022 Clouds have always fascinated people. White clouds turning dark remind people of the coming rain or storm, sometimes inspiring hope, at other times fear. Cloud colors at sunrise or sunset captivate them. Regardless of one’s vantage point, … Continue reading

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World Happiness Report 2022, Türkiye

August 29, 2022 The “World Happiness Report 2022” was published on March 18, 2022, by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), a global initiative of the United Nations.[i] This was three weeks after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and nearly three … Continue reading

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