Ankara is not against NATO’s expansion amid the Russia-Ukraine war but objects to Finland and Sweden’s unacceptable policies on terrorist groups The war in Ukraine put a spotlight on the question of NATO expansion. Some American strategists, including John Mearsheimer, […]
The civil war in Syria, which started a decade ago, is a symbol of humanity’s moral bankruptcy. That tragedy, which resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths and forced 7 million people into exile, continues in front of the world’s very […]
The COVID-19 pandemic dominated the year 2020, as the world encountered a great test on health care, economy and humanity. Several countries confiscated each other’s personal protective equipment (PPE) and went down in the history of shame. Against the backdrop […]
Adecade has passed since the December 2010 self-immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi, a Tunisian street vendor who set off mass protests in the Arab world. The wave of democratization, which began with the Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia, took down the authoritarian […]
On Wednesday, I joined a distinguished group of speakers to discuss Turkish foreign policy at the TRT World Forum. Once again, on the occasion, I concluded that Ankara’s involvement in global flashpoints is being questioned on two bases: Turkey’s overreach […]
Joe Biden on Saturday declared victory in the 2020 United States presidential election, which was marked by a high voter turnout and angry rhetoric. Although the incumbent, Donald Trump, may challenge the result on the streets and in courts, those […]
The world’s eyes have been fixed on Nagorno-Karabakh, the rise of Islamophobia in Europe and the United States elections. As usual, all three battles have been fought with references to Turkey and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. In Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan is […]
It was Washington’s turn to make a diplomatic move regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict yesterday. Although Moscow initially stepped in to broker two cease-fires between Azerbaijan and Armenia, those pauses proved short-lived. Likewise, no one seriously expects U.S. Secretary of State […]
Ankara’s intervention in Libya fueled a fresh debate in European and Middle Eastern capitals on Turkey’s role in the world. Reflecting the view that Turkey has evolved into a more powerful player, that discussion has two dimensions: First, it concentrates […]
The Idlib crisis reached another turning point after the signing of the Turkish-Russian agreement last week during President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to Moscow. Reports indicated that the challenging process of negotiations carried on for more than six hours. The […]
It has been more than eight years since the Syrian regime began one of the most brutal assaults against its own citizens, using every violent instrument at its disposal. The international community in these eight years stood idly by while […]
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 capacity to host 170,000 refugees inside Syria […]
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 […]
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, initially announced its commitment to the agreement on the condition […]
The Syrian civil war might be entering a new phase with the cessation of hostilities. Hundreds of thousands of people have died in the conflict and millions displaced internally or became refugees from this conflict. Especially with the recent Russian […]
The U.S.’s assumption that Syria’s YPG will contribute to the international coalition in the fight against DAESH will put the U.S. into trouble due to the terror organization’s separatist strategy in northern Syria and southeastern Turkey. As I mentioned in […]
Although the U.S.’s Syria policy continues to remain a misery since the civil war first began as it is ambiguous which country or terror organizations in the region it is serving, it is as bright as day that the – […]
The Assad regime, developing its violent tactics daily, is now including the use of starvation, because the use of chemical weapons and barrel bombs did not serve to be the easiest and fastest methods to drive its own people to […]
The “proximity talks” in Geneva, which were due to start last week, have been suspended, and though U.N. Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura stated that they would resume in late February, the questions that I raised in this column last week […]
The latest talks in Geneva to find a solution to the Syrian civil war will unlikely be any more successful than those that have preceded it, as those involved either waffle over their commitment to find a resolution or are […]
Finding new ways to terrorize its own people by the day including the use of chemical weapons, barrel bombs and the recent tactic of starvation, the Assad regime continues to violate not only the international law but also the agreements […]
In a few weeks time, it will be seven years since the inauguration of President Barack Obama for his first term as president of the United States, and he will be in his last year in office. What will determine […]
The U.S.’s failed strategy to fight DAESH, which shares outrageous similarities with al-Qaeda, despite the differences between those times and today, showing the state is taking no lesson from former experiences. Almost 16 months ago, after a series of statements […]
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 Article Here Turkey’s struggle against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS, […]
Russia might be escalating the crisis with Turkey get domestic backing for its policies or to de-legitimize Turkey’s position in Syria. The crisis in bilateral relations between Turkey and Russia, which started after a Russian bomber jet violated Turkish airspace […]
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 […]
