Türkiye’s anti-war diplomacy brings Syria and Ukraine leaders together
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met President Tayyip Erdoğan in Istanbul on April 4. We do not know whether the timing of the visit was deliberately arranged, but since he was already in Istanbul—and as it coincided with Easter—he also visited Patriarch Bartholomew. Later, in a move that, like his Istanbul visit, had not been announced
- Published in Politics, The Middle East Political and Economic Affairs
Russia–Ukraine: Türkiye’s Return to Realpolitik and Its Expanding Role in NATO
Russian forces entered Ukrainian territory four years ago today, on 24 February 2022. NATO had anticipated the attack. Just as the world was beginning to recover from the trauma of the Covid-19 pandemic, it was perhaps stepping into what could become a simmering, low-intensity world war. On 27 February 2022, Türkiye formally designated the situation
- Published in Politics
Europe’s focus shifts from Turkish democracy to security in 7 points.
About ten years ago, caricatures of “Sultan Erdoğan” were popular in the Western European press. President Tayyip Erdoğan, who was trying to pull the Turkish Republic into the orbit of Russia and Iran with a neo-Ottoman and political Islamist policy, was seen as the antithesis of the West. The antipathy was so strong that, during
- Published in Politics, Turkish Foreign Relations Analysis Forecast
CHP is under judicial siege. Eyes of September 15 trial
The removal of CHP İstanbul Provincial Chairman Özgür Çelik and his administration from office by court order and the appointment of Gürsel Tekin, a former CHP Secretary General, as trustee not only disrupted the CHP but also stirred up politics and the relationship between politics and the judiciary. CHP leader Özgür Özel declared that they
- Published in Politics
Straying jurists cause the UK to dishonour its international undertakings
The United Kingdom (UK) prides itself on a legal system rooted in fairness, transparency, and the rule of law. Yet beneath this polished veneer lies a troubling loophole—one that allows straying jurists to sidestep ethical duties with impunity, find creative ways to ignore international treaties and cause the UK to dishonour its undertakings under international
Game changers year 2024: From Turkish elections to global power plays
When selecting the person and event of the year for 2024 in both domestic and foreign policy, establishing the criteria is the challenging part – everything else falls into place naturally. My criterion was simple: impact on the overall political trajectory. Specifically, how an individual shaped the course of political developments in 2024, and which
- Published in Politics
Neighbors and Israel: Is a common future possible in Middle East?
As the world rapidly returns to a period defined by traditional power balances and violence, it is imperative that we strengthen ourselves across all domains, from the economy and military power to science, technology, art, culture, and the quality of human capital. To achieve this, we must urgently resolve our internal issues and focus on
- Published in Politics
Women Want to Write Türkiye’s 2nd Century
On October 28, we patiently listened to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s two-hour speech at the “Beginning of the Century of Türkiye” programme. During one and a half hours of his speech, Erdoğan listed the services and activities of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the past tense. The programme was held a day
- Published in Life
Erdoğan stirs debate with his “children” advise
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stirred up a heated debate after he advised a new AKP member’s wife “to have more children as a career” at his ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) parliamentary group meeting on October 19. “The career of this business is to have children. The child is very important. Look, the
- Published in Politics
Türkiye’s Well-Being: Despair, Desperation, Debt
I will talk about a research: “The Well-Being Conditions of The Citizens in Turkey: Towards a Healthy, Happy, Fair, Safe, Hopeful and Strong Society” of the Equality Studies Association written by Ali Yalçın Göymen and Gülnur Elçik. With this study, it was aimed to analyze the well-being of the citizens by conducting a research covering
- Published in Life









