Yazar arşivleri: Ali Tuygan

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Ali Tuygan hakkında

Ali Tuygan is a graduate of the Faculty of Political Sciences of Ankara University. He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in January 1967. Between various positions in Ankara, he served at the Turkish Embassy in Brussels, NATO International Staff, Turkish Embassies in Washington and Baghdad, and the Turkish Delegation to NATO. From 1986 to 1989 he was the Principal Private Secretary to the President of the Republic. He then served as ambassador to Ottawa, Riyadh, and Athens. In 1997 he was honored with a decoration by the Italian President. Between these assignments abroad he served twice as Deputy Undersecretary for Political Affairs. In 2004 he was appointed Undersecretary where he remained until the end of 2006 before going to his last foreign assignment as Ambassador to UNESCO. He retired in 2009. In April 2013 he published a book entitled “Gönüllü Diplomat, Dışişlerinde Kırk Yıl” (“Diplomat by Choice, Forty Years in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs”) in which he elaborated on the diplomatic profession and the main issues on the global agenda. He has published articles in Turkish periodicals and newspapers.

The West in Turmoil

February 17, 2025

President Trump’s barrage of proposals and statements by senior US officials on peace in the Middle East and Ukraine have surprised European partners, triggering confusion and uncertainty. Last Friday, Vice-President Vance chastised European leaders for failing to listen to their voters. When asked about European participation in the negotiations with Russia, US Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia Kellogg said, “I think that’s not gonna happen.” Mr. Trump’s latest salvo, lost among others, was a nuclear deal with Russia and China to halve defense budgets.

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President Trump’s Diplomatic Agenda Unfolding

February 10, 2025

At a CNN town hall in May 2023, Mr. Trump said: “They’re dying, Russians and Ukrainians. I want them to stop dying. And I’ll have that done — I’ll have that done in 24 hours.” He said that would happen after he met with Ukrainian President Zelensky and President Putin. And he kept repeating the claim on the campaign trail.

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Redesigning the Middle East

February 3, 2025

Since his inauguration, President Trump’s speeches and remarks have only led to confusion and uncertainty regarding his administration’s foreign, security, and economic policies. Reacting to his continuing remarks about Greenland, Denmark announced last week that it would invest 2.05 billion dollars to boost its military presence in the Arctic. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz sharply criticized Elon Musk’s backing of the right-wing parties in the European Union, calling it “really disgusting” and said it was hindering democracy in the bloc. As for his new tariffs, the frontrunner to be the next Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, said his country will “stand up to a bully”.

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Toward a More Transactional Relationship

January 27, 2025

President Trump’s inaugural address lasted for thirty minutes.[i] He said little about the guiding principles of Washington’s future foreign and security policy. He once again stressed that America would soon be greater, stronger, and far more exceptional than ever before and respected all over the world.

Since Washington always claims to be the leader of the democratic world and exceptional, one would have expected him to say a few words about promoting democracy.

President Trump used the word “democracy” just once.

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A Ceasefire in Gaza but Regional Challenges Remain

January 20, 2025

The Hamas-Israel ceasefire and hostage-prisoner exchange agreement went into effect yesterday with the release of three Israeli woman hostages and ninety Palestinian prisoners, mostly women.

During the past fifteen months, nearly 47,000 Gazans were killed and more than 110,000 injured. The jubilations in the Strip show how desperate the Gazans are for an end to the war but this may not last as they return to their devastated homes.

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President Biden’s Foreign and Security Policy

January 16, 2025

Last Monday, at the US State Department, Mr. Biden delivered his last foreign and security policy speech as president.[i] His remarks were only words of praise for the achievements of his four years at the White House.  The following from his speech reflects his broad assessment: “Compared to four years ago, America is stronger, our alliances are stronger, our adversaries and competitors are weaker, and we have not gone to war to make these things happen…  During my presidency, I’ve increased America’s power in every dimension… And now, America is more capable and, I would argue, better prepared than we’ve been in a long, long time.” 

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Türkiye in a State of Confusion

January 9, 2024

Türkiye’s national agenda over the past decade-and-a-half has offered our people hardly any optimism. In recent months, two items took over all else: The negative impact of our continuing economic downturn on the low-income classes, and Türkiye’s Kurdish issue interlinked with developments in Syria.

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The New Year Begins with Uncertainties

January 2, 2025

Toward the end of 2024, Germany and France were engulfed in domestic political problems. Romania’s constitutional court annulled the country’s 2024 presidential election. Georgia remained in political turmoil. South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law created havoc, and the National Assembly impeached him in a second vote. The US and its European allies continued providing Ukraine with economic and military assistance. Their motto has always been “as long as it takes”. However, such references became increasingly questionable. Mobilization became unpopular in Ukrainian society. By contrast, Russia regained momentum. Though welcomed, the fall of the Assad dynasty created anxiety not only in Syria but also in the Middle East. The war in Gaza continued with no end in sight.

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Türkiye at an Inflection Point

December 19, 2024

The history of Türkiye-West relations over the last fifteen years has been characterized by a lack of meaningful dialogue, unfriendly rhetoric, and confrontation despite a promising beginning.

In April 2009 President Obama came to Ankara on his first bilateral visit to Europe as president. He started his address to the Turkish parliament with the following:

“This morning I had the great privilege of visiting the tomb of your extraordinary founder of your republic. And I was deeply impressed by this beautiful memorial to a man who did so much to shape the course of history. But it is also clear that the greatest monument to Atatürk’s life is not something that can be cast in stone and marble. His greatest legacy is Turkey’s strong, vibrant, secular democracy, and that is the work this assembly carries on today…”

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The Year 2024 in Review

December 16, 2024

People aspire to democracy.  Regardless of their respect for fundamental rights and freedoms, and the rule of law, all regimes claim to be democratic in some form because it remains the ultimate source of legitimacy to govern. Sadly, the year 2024 was not an inspiring year for democracy.

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