December 15, 2025
In two weeks, the year 2025 will be behind us. The end of a year is a moment of reflection on the achievements, disappointments, and failures of the past twelve months and whether different paths could have been taken. In international relations, those who choose between “new chapters” and “the same old story” are world leaders, primarily among them the leaders of major powers. And “new chapters” are not easy to start writing.
Okumaya devam etNovember 4, 2025
President Trump announced his 20-point Gaza Peace Plan on September 29, 2025, in a press conference with Prime Minister Netanyahu at the White House.[i] The ceasefire went into effect on October 10. As expected, there have been many ceasefire violations since then. On October 28, Israeli strikes in Gaza killed at least 104 people, including dozens of children, according to local health authorities. The strikes came after Israel accused Hamas of killing a soldier. Thus, the deployment of an international force to Gaza, as envisaged in the Plan, appears to have moved up on the agenda. However, this will only follow the formation of the Board of Peace that will govern Gaza “until the Palestinian Authority completes its reform program”.
Okumaya devam etOctober 6, 2025
On September 29, 2025, President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu met at the White House. Mr. Trump announced his 20-point plan for Gaza. During remarks to the media with the Israeli Prime Minister, Mr. Trump said that Hamas has ‘three or four days’ to respond to the proposal.
Last Friday, “An Agreement must be reached with Hamas by Sunday Evening at SIX (6) P.M., Washington, D.C. time. Every Country has signed on! If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas.” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social.
His fixing the deadline one day before the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel was another warning to Hamas, signaling that without an agreement, that very day would be a big day of punishment. Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey started talks with both Hamas and the US administration.
Okumaya devam etAugust 25, 2025
In an article published in The New York Times on March 13, 2014, John J. Mearsheimer, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago, explained the background of the Ukraine conflict as follows:
“…The taproot of the current crisis is NATO expansion and Washington’s commitment to move Ukraine out of Moscow’s orbit and integrate it into the West. The Russians have intensely disliked but tolerated substantial NATO expansion, including the accession of Poland and the Baltic countries. But when NATO announced in 2008 that Georgia and Ukraine “will become members of NATO,” Russia drew a line in the sand. Georgia and Ukraine are not just states in Russia’s neighborhood; they are on its doorstep. Indeed, Russia’s forceful response in its August 2008 war with Georgia was driven in large part by Moscow’s desire to prevent Georgia from joining NATO and integrating into the West…”[i]
Okumaya devam etJuly 28, 2025
Last Tuesday, July 22, Mr. Jean-Noël Barrot, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, in response to a question about his “virulent earlier reaction to the new ground offensive in Gaza”, said that France utterly condemns it and calls for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all the hostages held by Hamas, a Hamas that must be disarmed, and the completely unimpeded entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza. He criticized the Israeli Government’s militarized system of food distribution that has caused the deaths of nearly 1,000 civilians in the past few weeks.” Earlier, he had said that the operations of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation have led to a blood bath.
Okumaya devam etJuly 9, 2025
On February 28, 2025, the world witnessed an unprecedented public confrontation between President Trump and President Zelensky at the Oval Office, where the former and Vice President Vance castigated their guest for not being grateful for US support in Ukraine’s war with Russia. Three days later, President Trump temporarily suspended the delivery of all US military aid to Ukraine. Eventually, the incident was somehow put behind and arms shipments resumed.
Okumaya devam etJune 16, 2025
The US-Israel relationship began with the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. The Truman administration was among the first to recognize the new state, combining moral obligations following the Holocaust with strategic interests in the Middle East. During this early period, US involvement in the West Bank and Gaza was minimal since these territories were under Jordanian and Egyptian control, respectively.
Okumaya devam etMay 26, 2025
Following his two-hour-long telephone call with President Putin on May 19, President Trump claimed that his conversation with the Russian leader went very well and that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to start negotiations toward a ceasefire immediately. He also said, “Russia wants to do large-scale TRADE with the United States when this catastrophic ‘bloodbath’ is over, and I agree. There is a tremendous opportunity for Russia to create massive amounts of jobs and wealth. Its potential is UNLIMITED. Likewise, Ukraine can be a great beneficiary on Trade, in the process of rebuilding its Country.”[i]
Washington’s Western allies hardly shared his optimism.
Okumaya devam etMay 19, 2025
Last week, the world focused on President Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, and the Russia-Ukraine “peace talks”, and the rising death toll in Gaza.
Looking at the welcome extended to Mr. Trump and the deals made in the three Gulf nations, one cannot help but remember President Biden’s visit to the region in July 2022.
Okumaya devam etFebruary 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”.
Okumaya devam et
Diplomatik Yorum - Ali Tuygan 