The game-changers in today’s world has coincided with the emergence of US President Donald Trump’s erratic administration, which is pursuing goals that are completely detached from those of Europe generally. Trump’s abandonment of the Iran nuclear deal, combined with Russian President Vladimir P…
In Turkey’s 24 June elections, President Erdoğan has won both enhanced presidency and a coalition majority in parliament that also comprises Turkish nationalist as well. It remains to be seen to what extent the consequences of Turkey’s elections will touch upon the relations between Turkey and t…
Relations between Russia and Turkey have always been and will continue to be a controversial subject. For both countries, this is a very special relationship; it contains a lot of emotions, mythology, prejudices, uneasy legacies of the past and sometimes unrealistic hopes for the future. The gla…
With a decisive victory of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the first round of the presidential elections held on June 24, 2018, Turkey ushered into a new era in terms of the country’s political system as well. Turkey has opted out the parliamentary system and adopted the executive presidential system of…
Today the role of religion in society and the relationship between religion and foreign policy comprise the issues of widespread interest and intense discussion. Governments, think tanks, universities, and religious bodies are all engaged in debating and analyzing this complex question from a va…
Donald Trump’s recent recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel has led to a swift backlash not just among Palestinians or in Arab or Muslim majority states, but around the world. This is evidenced by the recent UN General Assembly vote condemning the move, which passed overwhelmingly. A…
The EU’s role in the Middle East Peace Process (MEPP) has often been the most decisive when the Europeans dared to take the initiative. In 1980 the EU’s predecessor, the European Economic Community (EEC) issued the Venice Declaration, which called for recognition of the Palestinian Liberation Or…
Turkey has started the new year with an important new military operation directed towards the Afrin region in Syria. Turkish government deems it necessary to sanitize its border area from being prone to all kinds of terrorist activities.
In Syria, the international community identifies ISIL a…
Reports about the decision of the United States to set up a border force with the so-called “Syrian Democratic Forces” (SDF) that would operate along the Turkish and Iraqi borders and also inside Syria along the Euphrates river, exacerbated the tension in the already strenuous relations between …