(R) Ambassador
In the last two weeks, the citizens of Türkiye have witnessed two troubling developments that should upset everyone who loves their country. Neither development received the media attention it deserved, beyond a handful of news stories barely noticed by the average citizen too immersed in the troubles of their own daily lives. Yet both developments
In recent days, the political earthquakes in Türkiye have unfairly drawn attention away from the deep pain caused by the physical earthquake which shattered countless lives in the affected regions. Now, with elections just around the corner, political agendas are on full display, rife as usual with brazen moves and strategic gameplay. The reasons are
On February 6, 2023, two equally destructive earthquakes struck Turkey leaving behind them an unprecedented loss of life and property. Eleven provinces were devastated. With every stone lifted, the ugly face of bad governance showed itself more clearly and exposed the level of incompetence that our institutions are suffering due to politicized appointments. The earthquake
Despite efforts on both sides to downplay the tensions, Turkish-American relations have never been more strained. This reality was once again painfully obvious during the Türkiye-United States Joint Strategic Mechanism meetings held in Washington on January 18, between Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and his counterpart Antony Blinken. While the Biden administration, since its first day
The initial results of the US midterm elections came as a huge disappointment for the ranks of the Republican Party. The Republicans were almost certain of a success in the midterm elections, which would renew all 435 members of the House of Representatives, one-third of the 100 total members of the Senate, as well as
It seems increasingly less likely that the results of the U.S. Midterm elections will help clear the clouds menacing American democracy. Anand Giridharadas, commenting on recent developments in world politics said: “We are living through a revolt against the future”. The former New York Times columnist is right on target. Throughout the world we are
John D. Rockefeller founded Standard Oil and served as its president for 29 years. He was one of the richest businessmen of all time. He lived for almost a century until the age of 98. Rockefeller was a highly engaged reader of the New York Times. However, the bad news in the newspaper demoralized him,
A favourite phrase by Turkish government officials these days is that they are “implementing a foreign policy with a 360 degree outlook which is cemented on friendship”. I’m assuming the message is that they are weighing every possible policy angle before making a decision but the ultimate aim is friendship. Actual policy and reality on
Turkey’s populist-driven foreign policies are coming back to bite us and Erdoğan’s government is unable to formulate solutions for the impasse they themselves created. This reality is especially urgent in Syria. Elections are coming up and one of the bigger determinants for voters is the economic and sociological costs of hosting 3.5 million Syrian refugees.