Tag Archives: Turkey

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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The Unbreakable Bond Between Turkey’s Democracy and Foreign Policy

Posted on May 31, 2019 by Ali Tuygan

May 31, 2019 A fundamental reality of foreign relations is that a country’s international standing is largely a reflection of its internal strength. And this invariably depends on respect for the rule of law, strong institutions and a broad national … 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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On US-Russia Relations and Iran

Posted on May 16, 2019 by Ali Tuygan

May 16, 2019 During his first visit to Moscow on 6-8 July 2009 President Obama tried to “reset” relations. Unfortunately for the international community this failed to materialize. The Arab Spring led to a new set of confrontations. Snowden affair … Continue reading →

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