The growing tension between the U.S. and Iran is in the spotlight in our region. Washington is approaching Iran with a policy of “maximum pressure.” They have not only strengthened the sanctions but also sent an aircraft carrier to the Gulf.
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Russia
The crisis in NATO and a complicated U.S. foreign policy are shaping Ankara-Washington relations, making it hard to predict the future. Over the past few weeks, there has been significant diplomatic activity between Turkey, the U.S. and NATO regarding the […]
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 legislative measures, clearly designed to send Turkey a message […]
It is becoming more and more apparent that the relationship with the U.S. will dominate our foreign policy agenda in the upcoming years. This issue is not only limited to the widening rift in bilateral relations over the recent period but […]
Spy movies concerning highly skilled spies and their adventures in enemy lands were one of the most defining characteristics of popular culture in the Cold War years. The characteristics of the Cold War made this necessary as the two superpowers, […]
In my previous column, I mentioned how, in three different, but very important, documents on U.S. national security, namely the National Security Strategy (NSS), National Defense Strategy and Worldwide Threat Assessment reports, there is a strong emphasis on the return […]
The cancellation of the meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin was one of the highlights of the G20’s Argentina summit. As previously mentioned in this column, following the Helsinki debacle, the Trump administration most probably […]
For the first time since the 2008 global crisis, the G20 summit is being held at the world leader level in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The purpose of the meeting is to reduce the effects of the crisis and to pioneer […]
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 civil wars to refugee crises, there are a host […]
Since the resolution of the Brunson issue between Turkey and the U.S., there has been an increasing level of high-level diplomatic interaction between the two countries. The presidents of the two countries talked multiple times on the phone on many […]
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 the end of […]
Thursday, September 13, 2018 2:00pm – 3:30pm As the Assad regime appears to be gearing up for an attack on Idlib, observers have rung the alarm bells about potentially massive humanitarian consequences. The city is considered the last bastion of […]
Operation Olive Branch apparently disturbed the United States – only second to the People’s Protection Units (YPG). It was telling that U.S. President Donald Trump followed up on contradictory statements from U.S. officials at various levels by calling President Recep […]
In the last few years, Russia’s foreign and security policies have been one of the most enigmatic dimensions of the international system. The words that described the Russian government after a long campaign in Chechenia in the first years of […]
On the same day as yet another round of Syria talks convened in Geneva on Monday, March 14th, Russian President Vladimir Putin once again occupied the headlines. Putin’s statement argued that Russia’s military intervention in Syria had achieved its goals […]
The Russian declaration last week of the withdrawal of its forces from Syria caught most of the observers of the conflict in Syria once again by surprise. Around six months ago when the news about the Russian military deployment in […]
Current Russian propaganda campaign is hurting the bilateral relations and generating a major image problem for Russia. The actions of Russia against Turkey in the period since the downing of a Russian military jet by the Turkish Armed Forces – […]
It is important for the Russian air force and military to recognize the way their actions are perceived and the possible outcomes of their actions. Last week, one of the most significant recent crises that has taken place between two […]
Russian violations of Turkish airspace have been frequent in the run-up to the incident despite Turkish warnings they would not be tolerated. On November 24, 2015 an Su-24M tactical bomber of the Russian Aerospace force was shot down by a […]
The Russian actions in Syria took place in a period of the transformation of the international system. It is a period of post-unipolarism in which the U.S. no longer sufficient power to shape the politics and economy of the entire […]
The reason behind Washington’s silence over the latest reports, claiming that Russia’s bombings in Syria were not against ISIS troops as Putin claims, but against Syrian moderate groups whose weapons are supplied by the CIA, still remains a mystery. What […]
SETA Foundation at Washington D.C.’s Kadir Ustun joins #HashtagVOA with Doug Bernard alongside Omar Hossino, Public Relations Director at the Syrian American Council, and Christopher Harmer, Senior Analyst at the Institute for the Study of War to Discuss Russian intervention in the […]
With the West’s silence over the terror of the Assad regime and now the Russian government’s military support to Syria, the atmosphere is perfect for everything to go as Assad wishes. This column is the third in a series on […]
Russian involvement in Syria can cause the intensification of the civil war and increase the number of causalities and refugees. New developments have taken place in the last few days since the first reports last week on the Russian military […]
Last week, there were an increasing number of reports in U.S. media regarding Russian military activity in Syria. According to these reports, U.S. intelligence captured evidence about the increasing number of military personnel and actions by Russia in regime-controlled areas […]
Through this visit, the two countries also tried to demonstrate that they have different options for strategic partnerships outside of the Western world. Last week Russian President Vladimir Putin paid an official visit to Egypt. On this very well covered […]