Kadir Ustun

Executive Director

Kadir Ustun is the Executive Director at the SETA Foundation at Washington, D.C. He also served as an Assistant Editor of Insight Turkey, an academic journal published by the SETA Foundation. Dr. Ustun holds a PhD in Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies from Columbia University and a Master’s degree in History from Bilkent University. He has contributed to various SETA reports and his writings have appeared in various publications such as Insight Turkey, Al Jazeera English, Daily Sabah, Hurriyet Daily News, Mediterranean Quarterly, and Cairo Review of Global Affairs among others. He is also co-editor of edited volumes History, Politics and Foreign Policy in Turkey, Change and Adaptation in Turkish Foreign Policy, and Politics and Foreign Policy in Turkey: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives.

You can reach Kadir by email at kadirustun [at] setadc [dot] org.

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• Biden’s visit to Middle East offers no new strategy

  US President Joe Biden's visit to the Middle East reassures regional allies of continued engagement, but it is unlikely to mobilize them around US goals US President Joe Biden’s visit to the Mid..Read more

• US has no vision to challenge regional dynamics

  Biden’s visit to the Middle East comes at a time when regional actors are reaching out to each other to reconcile their differences. The trip is unlikely to change the broader US retrenchment ..Read more

• Understanding Türkiye’s position on NATO enlargement

  Türkiye's reservations against Finland and Sweden's membership emanate from Ankara's long-standing frustration over Western tolerance and support for the PKK/YPG As we fast approach the NATO Summ..Read more

• The West must support Turkiye’s Ukraine diplomacy

  Russian invasion of Ukraine has mobilized NATO and the Western alliance, and it is finally creating a new conversation about the future of regional security arrangements The Russian invasion of Uk..Read more

• ‘America is back’: Has Biden restored US foreign policy after 1 year in office?

  Joe Biden, who emerged triumphant from the November 2020 elections, which took place in one of the most critical periods in American political history and witnessed firsts in many respects, had to fa..Read more

• Turkey-UAE: Why MBZ’s visit could mark the start of a new era

  The recent visit by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed (MBZ) to Turkey highlights the ongoing recalibration of Ankara’s foreign policy in the Middle East. Turkey and the UAE have been..Read more

• US-Turkey: Could F-16 deal revive relations?

  This article was first published in Middle East Eye on October 22, 2021 Ahead of a tentative meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Joe Biden at the G20 summ..Read more

• US-Turkey ties: Repairing the relationship must start in Syria

  A US failure to engage Ankara on a meaningful level will worsen humanitarian suffering, destabilize the region and deepen frictions within NATO The Syria conflict has created a humanitarian catast..Read more

• Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean: Maritime Disputes and Geopolitical Competition

  Recent tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean have multiple drivers including the race for exploitation of energy resources, long-standing maritime disputes, and the broader geopolitical competition b..Read more

• Trump’s Jerusalem Move

  Download the Book for Free This critically important book includes chapters both contextualizing and discussing the U.S. administration’s Jerusalem declaration in great detail. Various..Read more

• A New Era For Turkey-US Ties?: Interview With TRT World

  ..Read more

• US-Iran Tensions: Trump Seeks a Deal of His Own

  In the short and medium term, the interplay between Trump’s need for a deal on his own terms and Iran’s capacity to sustain the economic and political fallout from the U.S. maximum pressure campa..Read more

• Resolving the S-400 Standoff

  The U.S.-Turkey relationship is up for renewed tensions in the coming months as a result of the pending S-400 air defense system purchase from Russia. The U.S. Congress has introduced several legisla..Read more

• Ending the Confusion over U.S. Withdrawal from Syria

  Wall Street Journal reported over the weekend that the U.S. was planning to leave behind around 1,000 American soldiers after its withdrawal from Syria. The report was quickly denied by Gen..Read more

• Is the US Going to Withdraw from Syria or Not?

  The advance of the U.S. supported YPG-led SDF forces seems to have slowed down although President Trump had announced that it was a matter of a week before the last patch of territory in Daesh hand..Read more

• A Safe Zone in Northern Syria is a Must for Turkey

  Turkey has long called for the establishment of some sort of a safe zone in Syria over the course of the conflict. Such calls were primarily aimed at preventing regime violence against civilians and ..Read more

• Protecting the YPG Should not be a Goal of the US Withdrawal

  The debate on the U.S. withdrawal from Syria suffers from a couple of frequently repeated arguments that do not reflect the realities of the conflict, especially in northern Syria. Some argue that th..Read more

• Taking Stock of the Syria Withdrawal Decision

  The Syria withdrawal decision continues to stir a highly politicized debate among foreign policy professionals, including former and current government officials. Several arguments are made against t..Read more

• Another Bumpy Week in US-Turkey Relations

  President Trump’s National Security Advisor John Bolton’s visit to Ankara ended up causing more controversy than creating a common ground to work toward a serious strategy. In a previous col..Read more

• US-Turkey Cooperation in Syria Requires Serious Strategy

  President Trump’s seemingly abrupt decision to pull out of Syria has drawn a lot of criticism from the U.S. media as well as unnamed sources from within the U.S. military. Critics of a quick withdra..Read more

• Can the US have its Cake and Eat it too in Syria?

  The U.S. wants to cooperate with Turkey on all issues related to the Syrian conflict and sees it as critical to end the civil war. The U.S. Syria envoy James Jeffrey points to the Manbij agreement as ..Read more

• The G20 Summit: A Lack of Leadership and Purpose

  The G20 summit in Argentina ended with no major breakthrough or a breakdown but that is not good news for the pressing global challenges. From climate change to international terrorism and from civ..Read more

• Walking Through the Minefields in the US-Turkey Relationship

  The U.S.-Turkey relationship is going through interesting times, as both allies are willing to work through their differences despite serious disagreements over a host of issues. Turkey has been press..Read more

• Trump and the New House (of Cards)

  The last season of the much-acclaimed House of Cards features the story of the first woman American president Claire Underwood (Hale). The storyline is quite a bit of a commentary on the current debat..Read more

• The Khashoggi Affair Ushers in a New Era in the Region

  The Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s heinous murder in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul has led to an international outcry against Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman. The ambitious a..Read more

• Turkey-US Relations Post-Brunson

  In the first year of President Trump’s tenure, Turkish-American relations went through what we can call a period of “sizing up,” as hopes for a new beginning were somewhat moderated by strategic..Read more

• What are the Implications of America’s New Syria Policy for Turkey?

  The disagreement over the control and status of the Syrian town of Manbij has been a symbol of the strategic differences between the U.S. and Turkey’s Syria policies for a while now. Turkey’s succ..Read more

• Towards a New International System Without US Leadership

  There has been a lot of debate about the current U.S. unwillingness to lead the liberal international order it created after World War II. The Obama administration already displayed signs of war weari..Read more

• Can the Turkish-Russian Deal Save Idlib?

  The Turkish-Russian agreement arrived in Sochi in a meeting between President Erdogan and President Putin comes just in time to avert a major humanitarian crisis. The agreement is to create a demilita..Read more

• Idlib and the Implications of a Shifting US Policy on Syria

  Turkey has been the most vocal critic of the seemingly impending military assault against Idlib by the Assad regime. Turkey has serious concerns about the strategic and humanitarian consequences of a ..Read more

• Towards the End in the Syrian Civil War?

  The Syrian Civil War, which has been raging for more than seven years, is entering a new phase, as the Assad regime is threatening to take over Idlib with Russian air support. This may very well be th..Read more

• Turkey’s strategic interests in Idlib

  Turkey has been taking direct action in northwestern Syria in order to protect a variety of significant interests for several years now. Since March, Ankara has been working to build camps with a capa..Read more

• Turkey-US relations as the latest victim of Trumpian foreign policymaking

  Turkey-U.S. relations are at a new low and it should not come as surprise to anyone that Trumpian foreign policymaking has a lot to do with it. It was less than a month ago that President Trump snubbe..Read more

• Iran Sanctions Promise More Trouble for Turkey-US Relations

  The U.S. withdrawal of the Iran nuclear deal and the fresh round of sanctions imposed on Monday present a test to U.S. allies including Europe and Turkey. President Trump campaigned on getting rid of ..Read more

• US-Turkey Ties on the Brink of Collapse?

  The U.S.-Turkey relationship is faced with yet another crisis, this time over the Brunson case. Crises are increasingly becoming the rule rather than the exception largely because of the underlying st..Read more

• Mixed Signals in US-Turkey Relations

  The U.S.-Turkey relationship has always been subject to ups and downs, including the Cold War years. This was one of the themes covered in a conference on the legacy of the July 15 coup attempt organi..Read more

• The Legacy of the July 15 Coup Attempt for Turkish Democracy

  Within two years since the July 15 coup attempt, Turkey has overcome several monumental challenges. The first and foremost challenge was the coup attempt which was thwarted in its tracks by civilian i..Read more

• The Road Ahead After the June 24 Elections

  Sunday’s elections in Turkey have finalized the transition to the presidential system with the victory of President Erdogan and his party. Erdogan has advocated and campaigned for this system change..Read more

• Turkey’s June 24 elections are about stability

  Turkey will hold presidential and parliamentary elections on June 24 in an historic vote that will transform the country's political system from a parliamentary to a presidential one. For decades, th..Read more

• The June 24 Elections: Turkey’s Search for Stability

  Turkey is going to the polls this weekend to decide the presidential and parliamentary elections on the same day – a first in the country’s history. The elections will complete the transition into..Read more

• Can the Manbij Roadmap Rebuild Mutual Trust Between the U.S. and Turkey?

  The Syrian Civil War and its consequences have posed the most difficult strategic challenges to the U.S.-Turkey relationship in recent years. Issues such as the status of the Assad regime, the composi..Read more

• The New Iran Strategy: Bringing the Regime to its Knees through Sanctions and Isolation

  President Trump delivered a major campaign promise by pulling out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and left everyone wondering what the new Iran policy would be. Last week, Secretary ..Read more

• The US Pretends No More in Giving Israel What it Wants

  There were two images broadcast to the world last week that illustrated the end of the U.S. role in the Middle East peace process as we know it. The contrast between celebratory images of the opening ..Read more

• Pulling Out of the Nuclear Deal: Towards a New Status Quo with Iran?

  President Trump is widely expected to walk away from the Iran nuclear deal by refusing to issue a sanctions waiver this week. One of Trump’s central attacks on the Obama administration has been the ..Read more

• Macron Tries to Nudge Trump on Syria Policy

  In his most recent visit to Washington, French President Emmanuel Macron appealed to President Trump to avoid leaving Syria too soon. Trump had already announced that the U.S. would withdraw..Read more

• US Strikes do not Deliver a Syria Policy

  The U.S. strikes on Syrian chemical weapons facilities have delivered the Assad regime a strong message but a very narrow one. Assad can continue to attack the Syrian people with conventional weapons ..Read more

• Assad Knows Chemical Attacks Will Not End His Regime

  Assad is at it again. His regime used chemical weapons against civilians in Eastern Ghouta, which has been under attack for weeks. It was about a year ago that Assad used chemical weapons to which Pr..Read more

• What “America First” May Mean for the Middle East

  It was only in January when former Secretary of State Tillerson announced a Syria policy with several goals (ensuring no return of Daesh, countering Iran, and the return of refugees) but with no cle..Read more

• Can Manbij serve as a Model for US-Turkey Cooperation in Syria?

  The U.S. and Turkey have been pursuing conflicting strategies in northern Syria for a while now. Turkey adamantly pursued to end the U.S. support for the YPG while the Trump administration has seen th..Read more

• Is Pompeo the Right Man for a Trumpian Foreign Policy?

  President Trump’s dismissal of Rex Tillerson via a Twitter message together with the appointment of Mike Pompeo to head of the State Department has raised many questions about the future course ..Read more

• Some Myths about the YPG

  Ever since Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch in northwestern Syria, its goals have been mischaracterized and quite a few myths continue to thrive. One of these is that Turkey is conducting the op..Read more

• The US must end Support to the YPG to repair Ties with Turkey

  The U.S. must end its military and political support to the YPG not only to repair ties with Turkey but also to bring long lasting stability to Syria. If the U.S. is interested in a semblance of stabi..Read more

• The Operation Olive Branch and the US Policy in Syria

  In a speech on the US Syria policy,[1] Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson explained that the continued American military presence on the ground would push back against Iran strengthening its positio..Read more

• The KRG’s Independence Bid Spells Trouble

  The Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) referendum on independence is no great news for an already fractured country and a destabilized region. Independence is an openly stated goal of the Iraqi K..Read more

• Turkey-KRG Relationship: Mutual Interests, Geopolitical Challenges

  This analysis outlines the main drivers of the relationship between Turkey and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).In less than a week, on September 25, the KRG is planning to hold a referendum o..Read more

• EU-Turkey Refugee Agreement: Too Big to Fail

  The analysis outlines the process through which the EU-Turkey Joint Action Plan (JAP) on refugees came into being and examines the impact of the agreement, including its challenges and successes ..Read more

• It’s time for the US to stop alienating its allies

  Turkey's April 25 air strikes against Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) positions in Iraq and its affiliate People's Protection Units (YPG) in Syria were unexpected, but should not have surprised a..Read more

• Turkish Strikes Expose Missing Link in Anti-ISIS Campaign

  Turkey’s latest air raids targeting the YPG in northern Syria and the PKK in northern Iraq have, once again laid bare the deep differences between the US and Turkey over anti-ISIS strategy. The US c..Read more

• The US must heed Turkish concerns in Syria

  United States Senator John McCain has it right that the US has underestimated and, at times, disregarded Turkey's concern over its support for the People's Protection Units (YPG) in Syria. The US' rat..Read more

• The April 16 Referendum is an Opportunity for Turkey

  The AK Party will kick off its official “yes” campaign this weekend for the constitutional changes to switch to the presidential system. The referendum scheduled for April 16 represents the culmin..Read more

• Why does Turkey care about Mosul?

  Many commentators seem perplexed about Turkey's willingness to be a part of the ongoing Mosul operation. There are a number of concrete interests that drive Turkey's approach: limiting the area of op..Read more

• Interview with Kadir Ustun from the SETA Foundation at Washington D.C. about US’ comments on clashes between Turkey and YPG

  Executive Director Kadir Ustun's interview with TRT World on August 29th, 2016. ..Read more

• Biden’s Nearly Impossible Task in Turkey

  Vice President Joe Biden was never going to have it easy on his visit to Turkey on Wednesday. Since the July 15 coup attempt, U.S.-Turkey relations have grown worse day by day, and Biden needed to del..Read more

• US Alliance with Syrian PYD Alienates Turkey

  The most recent spat between the United States and Turkey over American support for the Democratic Union Party (PYD) in Syria is yet another example of increasing tensions between two NATO allies over..Read more

• US-Russia Agreement Offers Little Hope of Ending the Syrian Conflict

  There are many reasons to be skeptical of the most recent U.S.-Russian agreement for a cessation of hostilities in Syria. The High Negotiations Committee (HNC), representing the main opposition bloc, ..Read more

• Interview with Kadir Ustun from the SETA Foundation at Washington D.C. on Turkey’s reaction to deal in Syria

  Interview with Kadir Ustun from SETA foundation on Turkey's reaction to deal in Syria on February 23rd. 2016. ..Read more

• U.S.-Turkey Realignment on Syria

  The following is an excerpt from the Journal Essay "U.S.-Turkey Realignment on Syria" published by Kilic B. Kanat and Kadir Ustun in the Winter 2015 edition of Middle East Policy. Access Full Ar..Read more

• Turkey’s Repeat Elections: The Kurdish Wildcard

  Turkey's election cycle continues, as the country heads for a new round of elections this November. Following the June 2015 elections, it proved impossible to establish a coalition government, and now..Read more

• Toward U.S.-Turkey Realignment on Syria

  Turkey’s struggle against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) took on a new dimension in the wake of the Suruc bombing on July 20, 2015. Turkish policy has now shifted to allow the use o..Read more

• Politics and Foreign Policy in Turkey: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives

  This edited volume is the product of the Young Scholars on Turkey (YSOT) Conference held in Washington, D.C. on February 12, 2014. We have worked with the presenters of the conference to transform th..Read more

• Turkey’s Syrian Refugees: Toward Integration

  The Syrian conflict has produced the most compelling humanitarian challenge of the 21st century. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), there are 1..Read more

• Can a nuclear deal lead to Turkish-Iranian cooperation on Syria?

  Nuclear negotiations between the P5+1 and Iran are currently facing congressional challenges and Israeli obstructionism. If the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama can withstand these pressu..Read more

• Overcoming US-Turkey Differences on Syria

  Ever since President Obama announced that the U.S. would "degrade and ultimately destroy ISIS," American policymakers have been scrambling to put together an effective alliance. The U.S., with help fr..Read more

• Kadir Ustun discusses “Turkey, Kurds and ISIL” on VOA’s Encounter

  SETA Foundation at Washington, DC Research Director Kadir Ustun joined Encounter – Voice of America to discuss “Turkey, Kurds and ISIL." Denise Natali, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute ..Read more

• Coalition’s Half-baked ISIL Strategy Won’t Work

  The US aerial campaign against ISIL around Kobane has intensified in the past few days. There are reports from Kurdish sources on the ground that the strikes are helping to some extent. The US strat..Read more

• France 24 Debate: “The Battle for Kobani: Will Turkey Step In?”

  SETA Foundation at Washington, DC Research Director Kadir Ustun joined France 24 Debate to discuss “The Battle for Kobani: Will Turkey Step In?” Is Turkey pivoting? Speaking near the border w..Read more

• Kadir Ustun Joins Panel Discussion, “Turkey: ISIS and the Middle East”

  Dr. Kadir Ustun joined a panel, “Turkey: ISIS and the Middle East,” organized by Georgetown University’s Institute of Turkish Studies and co-sponsored by the Middle East Institute. Watch the ..Read more

• Obama’s Anti-ISIL Strategy Lacks a Political Goal

  On Sept. 23, the United States and its coalition partners attacked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) targets inside Syria for the first time. The strikes follow president Barack Obama’..Read more

• Turkey’s ISIS Challenge

  The use of Turkish territory as a transit for weapons and foreign fighters to enter Syria has led to accusations that Ankara has supported the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Others have argu..Read more

• Turkish Foreign Policy in the New Era

  In this new era of Turkish politics, unsurprisingly there will be significant continuities in many public policy realms. The new government formed under the leadership of Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğ..Read more

• SETA DC Research Director Quoted in Foreign Policy

  SETA Foundation at Washington, DC Research Director Kadir Ustun was quoted in Foreign Policy in an article by Kate Brannen on August 28, 2014. Iraqi Town Awaits Mount Sinjar-Like Rescue While Wash..Read more

• What Obama’s West Point Address Means for Turkey’s Syria Policy

  President Obama's commencement speech at West Point was criticized by many from the right and left for failing to outline a foreign policy vision for the remainder of his term. The address revealed th..Read more

• Toward a Political Solution in Syria

  Turkey established close relations with its Middle Eastern neighbors, including Syria, during the past decade to achieve interdependency through economic and political engagement. Turkey judged that i..Read more

• Russia’s Crimean Fait Accompli

  The crisis in Ukraine coincided with a domestic political crisis in Turkey and the run-up to local elections at the end of March. As a NATO member, Turkey responded to the crisis by opposing Crimea's ..Read more

• Syria Diplomacy Fails

  The failure of the Geneva II conference has demonstrated once again that the main stakeholders in the Syrian conflict have entirely opposing views of the crisis. Fundamental disagreements over the bas..Read more

• Syria Diplomacy and the Way Forward

  It came as little surprise to most observers that the first round of peace talks between the Syrian regime and opposition, dubbed Geneva II, ended with no substantive progress. The conference did litt..Read more

• Change and Adaption in Turkish Foreign Policy

  Turkish foreign policy has, for a variety of reasons, been the center of attention for scholars and analysts over the past several years. Turkey has emerged as a regional powerhouse with enviable eco..Read more

• AK Party-Gulen Split: Political Fallout From Corruption Probe

  By Erol Cebeci & Kadir Ustun Yet another political crisis in Turkey has dominated the headlines since December 2013. What should have normally been treated as a judicial case of corruption allega..Read more

• US and Turkey Diverge on Syria

  By Kadir Ustun & Sally Judson The US and Turkey have yet to develop a plan to deal with the monumental challenges the Syrian conflict poses to their interests. Finding common ground among region..Read more

• US-Turkey Relations in the AK Party Decade

  By Kadir Ustun & Kilic Kanat Today, a new Turkey as a regional power is faced with a new US effort to reconsider its role in the region and around the globe. Turkey's relations with the United St..Read more

• US-Turkey Relations: Arab Spring and the Search for Model Partnership

  By Kadir Ustun & Kilic Kanat US-Turkey relations in 2011 were in stark contrast to the “troubled” year of 2010. Policy debates in 2010 focused on the political and diplomatic fallout from t..Read more