Tag Archives: Turkey

Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine and the Montreux Convention

Posted on March 3, 2022 by Ali Tuygan

March 3, 2022 The Turkish Government has decided to close the Turkish Straits to all warships as a result of Russia’s military offensive against Ukraine. So, I thought that an updated version of a post I had written two years … Continue reading →

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Ukraine Crisis: A Reminder from the Middle East

Posted on February 7, 2022 by Ali Tuygan

February 7, 2022 The Russia-West standoff over Ukraine continues. The US and its European allies are warning of a serious risk of a Russian offensive against Ukraine. Moscow is claiming that the US is trying to pull Russia into an … Continue reading →

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US/NATO Talks with Russia, Episode 2 Begins

Posted on January 31, 2022 by Ali Tuygan

January 31, 2022 On January 26, the US and NATO delivered their written responses to Russia’s security demands in Eurasia. A day later, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the media that the responses offer grounds for serious talks only on … Continue reading →

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Russia-West Negotiations Start

Posted on January 10, 2022 by Ali Tuygan

January 10, 2022 With the New Year and Christmas celebrations behind, the world is back to the realities of the day. And the new year’s first surprise was the turmoil in Kazakhstan. In their phone call of December 30, Presidents … Continue reading →

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The Year 2021 in Retrospect

Posted on December 22, 2021 by Ali Tuygan

December 22, 2021 The top foreign and security policy item of 2021 was the strategic competition between major powers. Its subtitles were “China’s ascendancy”, “Russia’s resurgence” the “waning of American power”. The rise of authoritarianism, democracy’s decline, the failure of … Continue reading →

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Turkey’s Middle East Policy Coming Full Circle

Posted on December 6, 2021 by Ali Tuygan

December 6, 2021 The so-called “Friends of Syria Group”, now history, held its first meeting in Tunis on February 24, 2012.  On April 1, 2012, it met for the second time in Istanbul. Later that month in 2012, Turkey’s Foreign … Continue reading →

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Migration Tragedies to Continue

Posted on November 29, 2021 by Ali Tuygan

November 29, 2021 Last week, twenty-seven migrants lost their lives trying to cross from France to Britain in an inflatable boat. Coming soon after the standoff at the Belarus-Poland border, the tragedy briefly caught the world’s attention. Britain and France … Continue reading →

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Spy Games Between Israel and Turkey

Posted on November 22, 2021 by Ali Tuygan

November  22, 2021 In late October Turkish news outlets reported that fifteen individuals suspected of spying for Israel were arrested as part of a security operation. Reportedly, the suspects were spying on senior Hamas officials based in Turkey who were … Continue reading →

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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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Tough Choices for Ankara

Posted on November 8, 2021 by Ali Tuygan

November 8, 2021 Another operation by the Turkish Armed Forces in Syria is looming. President Erdogan gave the signal last month. Military reinforcements were sent to the border. On October 26, the Turkish parliament approved a motion extending authorization to launch … Continue reading →

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