Tag Archives: Turkish foreign policy

Loneliness, Not So “Precious” After All

Posted on July 4, 2016 by Ali Tuygan

July 4, 2016 The mother of all Turkey’s current foreign policy problems in the Middle East is our misguided involvement in the Syrian conflict. Yes, President Assad may have been a dictator; yes, he may have missed opportunities to start … Continue reading →

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Brexit

Posted on June 27, 2016 by Ali Tuygan

June 27, 2016 For some time, Grexit was mentioned as a possibility and that was troubling enough. Then came Brexit, dealing an unexpected blow to the EU and leading to understandable worries regarding the consequences for UK’s unity, the global … Continue reading →

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“Dissent Channel Memo” on Syria

Posted on June 22, 2016 by Ali Tuygan

June 22, 2016 Fifty-one State Department officials have signed a “dissent channel memo” calling for a “more militarily assertive U.S. role in Syria”. The availability of a “dissent channel” constitutes solid proof of respect for different opinions and their free … Continue reading →

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Orlando: A Collage of Views on the Background

Posted on June 20, 2016 by Ali Tuygan

June 20, 2016 Phrases like “radical Islam”, “jihadist terror”, “Islamic extremism” and “Islamophobia” have been with us for quite some time. The Orlando massacre must have galvanized the behind closed doors debate on them. And, while some use them openly … Continue reading →

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Turkey’s Unsustainable “Precious Loneliness”

Posted on June 6, 2016 by Ali Tuygan

June 6, 2016 On May 24, 2016, Turkey’s new Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım introduced his government’s program in the Parliament. Government programs hardly get any public attention because they routinely reiterate lofty principals, announce visionary policies and contain endless promises. … Continue reading →

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The Long War Against ISIL

Posted on May 30, 2016 by Ali Tuygan

May 30, 2016 In March, 2013, Free Syrian Army troops and Islamist rebel forces, including al-Nusra captured Raqqa. Soon, however, members and flags of the Islamic State appeared. By early 2014, ISIL had taken complete control of the town. Since … Continue reading →

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OIC’s Istanbul Summit

Posted on April 18, 2016 by Ali Tuygan

April 18, 2016 The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the second largest inter-governmental organization after the UN with 57 Member States, held its 13th Summit Conference in Istanbul on April 14-15, 2016. Since its establishment in 1969, the OIC has … Continue reading →

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Turkey’s Relations with Russia

Posted on February 23, 2016 by Ali Tuygan

February 23, 2016 On November 24, 2015 Turkish fighter jets downed a Russian Su-24 warplane for having violated Turkish airspace and the incident has led to a major setback in bilateral relations as well as regional complications (*). This is … 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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Washington’s Troubled Relations with Its Middle East Partners

Posted on January 25, 2016 by Ali Tuygan

January 25, 2016 On January 22, 2016 Secretary Kerry addressed the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. This is how he started off his remarks on the Iran nuclear deal: “… It wasn’t so long ago that … Iran was … Continue reading →

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