For the last few years, since the acceleration of the downward spiral in Turkish-U.S. relations, many analysts have indicated that the improvement of relations will partly depend on economic and social relations between the two countries. The strategic divergences in […]
Following last week’s Friday prayers, hundreds of thousands of people in Iran took to the streets to voice their support for the regime and chant against Israel and the United States. This state of mobilization shows that the strategy to […]
This almanac provides the synopsis of bilateral relations between the US and Turkey during the past fifteen years of AK Party rule in Turkey, starting with the March 1st crisis. During this period, AK Party governments have engaged with different […]
On November 2, 2017, The SETA Foundation at Washington DC hosted a panel discussion, “Looking Forward at US-Turkey Relations” with Colonel Richard Outzen, a member of the Policy Planning Staff at the US Department of State; General Mark Kimmitt, a […]
If you ask representatives from the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq, they will stress that Monday’s referendum paves the way for the KRG to be a stable and democratic regional partner to its external allies. However, almost all external actors […]
Yet, under the current circumstances, Turkey would most likely continue to oppose a declaration of independence even though Turkey’s political engagement and rapport with the KRG has been so deep and extensive.
Over the past year, Turkey has successfully fought against the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), the terrorist group led by U.S.-based criminal Fetullah Gülen. Removing the group’s undercover operatives from strategically important public institutions has been a top priority in efforts […]
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.
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’ rationale for helping the YPG was predicated on […]
How many victims of the terrorist attacks in Turkey or other countries would be enough to push the international community to say ‘stop’ the deadly terror groups and fight on the ground against them? It was a hard to explain […]
In Syria, the U.S. has walked a delicate line between its preference for Kurdish fighting groups in the north of the country, and its indispensable relationship with Turkey. Washington’s continued reliance on the PYD/YPG as its proxy in the Syrian […]
Mosul, a sprawling city of 1.5 million in Northern Iraq, has been under ISIS control for two years. The city in which Abu Bakr al Baghdadi declared his caliphate is facing a joint military operation, bringing together the Iraqi Army, […]
Syria, the YPG, and Gulen’s extradition issue will be the most challenging disagreements in Turkish-American Relations. The forthcoming U.S. president will enter office facing significant challenges in the relationship with Turkey. Despite the strong alliances under the umbrella of NATO […]
The United States have poured millions of dollars and considerable amount of human capital into its public diplomacy in the Middle East. In its early days, the Obama administration was intent on overcoming negative perceptions of the United States in […]
Since the failed coup attempt on July 15, Ankara has been full of angry voices against the Obama administration. One can find a deep-seated, and perhaps understandable, disappointment with Washington’s reaction. Obama administration’s stance on the Egyptian coup and its […]
Kadir Ustun joined Encounter – VOA News with Carol Castiel alongside Nicholas Danforth of the Bipartisan Policy Center for a conversation titled “EU-Turkey: Tables Turned?”. The discussion focused on the EU-Turkey refugee deal, the recent breakdown of peace with the PKK, and other issues […]
A year ago in this column after visiting some of the cities on the Turkish-Syrian border and seeing some of the refugee camps run by the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), I wrote that “there is something almost legendary […]
Kadir Ustun Discusses Turkey’s November Elections This week Kadir Ustun joined Encounter – VOA News with Carol Castiel alongside Blaise Misztal of the Bipartisan Policy Center. The conversation focused on the recent November 1 elections as well as Turkey’s domestic, regional, […]
On Nov. 4th, 2015 SETA Kilic Kanat Participated the panel “Winning and Losing in Turkey: A Conversation about the November 1 Election” hosted by The Middle East Program and Global Europe Program at the Woodrow Wilson Center. Panelists included representatives from […]
On November 4th, 2015, the SETA Foundation at Washington D.C. organized a panel discussion entitled, “After Turkey’s November Elections: What Lies Ahead?” that examined the outcome of Turkey’s November 4th, 2015 snap election. The panelists included Hon. Robert Wexler, President, S. […]
A month ago, in an analysis of the June elections and possible drivers for the November elections, I argued that there would be several different possible influencers of voting behavior of the November 1st elections. Most of these factors seemed […]
The day before the election in this column I wrote that there are things we know about the elections, and it was another Justice and Development Party (AK Party) win. The results of the elections show that the AK Party […]
This weekend, Turkish people will vote for the fourth time in 20 months. Turkey will have another general election following the failure of political parties to form a coalition government with the existing parliamentary vote distribution. The outcome of the […]
The latest report by Amnesty International about a new wave of the forced displacement of the people in PYD-controlled areas reveals the lack of human security in the region. Last June, in the aftermath of clashes between the People’s Protection […]
On October 14, 2015 the SETA Foundation at Washington D.C. organized a panel discussion entitled, “Turkey Ahead of the November Elections.” The panelists included Andrew Bowen, Senior Fellow and Director of Middle East Studies, Center for the National Interest, Omer […]
This election analysis will focus on the June election results, the coalition formation process that failed in the period after the elections and variables that will influence the voting behavior of the Turkish electorates in the upcoming elections. The June […]
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, the caretaker government under Justice and Development Party (AK […]
Voting behavior in the upcoming Nov. 1 elections will be determined by both the parties’ campaigns on the economy and the opposition parties’ failure to form a coalition government. The political situation in Turkey since the June 7 elections has […]
The PKK is threatened by the rise of politicians’ influence over Kurdish citizens, which means the terrorist organization will eventually lose its presence in the region. For scholars and observers of the Kurdish question, the next big research question is […]