Etiket arşivi: Iran

Türkiye at an Inflection Point

Bir Cevap Yazın

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…”

Okumaya devam et →

Iraq and Syria Refuse Being Made Punching Bags

Bir Cevap Yazın

February 5, 2024

On January 3, twin blasts near the burial site of Qasem Soleimani, the former head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, killed a hundred people and injured scores in the southern Iranian city of Kerman adding to concerns about a widening regional conflict. President Raisi’s political deputy, Mohammad Jamshidi, blamed Israel and the US for the attack. Later, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei vowed a “harsh response” to the attack but did not mention either Israel or the US.

Okumaya devam et →

Ankara’s Troubled Relations with Washington

Bir Cevap Yazın

January 29, 2024

Türkiye’s governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power following the general election on November 2, 2002. This marked the end of the coalition government led by Prime Minister Ecevit, the prominent leader of Türkiye’s democratic left. The change of government came at a critical time for Türkiye-US relations because the Bush administration had already declared its intention to invade Iraq. Vice President Cheney had visited Ankara to secure the Turkish government’s “full cooperation” in the project, but Mr. Ecevit had resisted.

Okumaya devam et →

US and Israeli Leaders on Different Wavelengths

Bir Cevap Yazın

January 22, 2024

On January 18, Prime Minister Netanyahu claimed that Israel under his leadership will not compromise on less than total victory over Hamas, and they will win. “In any arrangement in the foreseeable future — with an arrangement or without one — Israel must have security control over all the territory west of the Jordan,” Mr. Netanyahu also said at a news conference, referring to the area that would supposedly belong to an independent Palestinian state. “This clashes with the idea of sovereignty. What can you do? The prime minister needs to be capable of saying no to our friends,” he declared.

Okumaya devam et →

The Question of the Endgame in Gaza

Bir Cevap Yazın

January 17, 2024

That the US and the UK reacted militarily to Houthi attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea was no surprise. What is striking is how after years of war, Yemen, a country going through the world’s worst humanitarian crisis is becoming a party to another regional conflict.

Iran says it does not want to get involved in a wider conflict, but groups in the “Axis of Resistance” including the Houthis are carrying out attacks on Israel and its allies to show solidarity with the Palestinians. And, White House Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby says that the US is not looking for conflict with Iran or looking to escalate.  But reportedly, the US now plans to put the Houthis back on its global terrorism list.           

Okumaya devam et →

Growing Concerns About a Wider Middle East Conflict

Bir Cevap Yazın

January 6, 2024

The killing of Hamas’s Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut on January 2, and the twin blasts near the burial site of Qasem Soleimani that caused the death of nearly a hundred Iranians the next day have raised worries about a widening regional conflict.

Okumaya devam et →

Ankara’s Roller-coaster Foreign Policy

Bir Cevap Yazın

November 6, 2023

Türkiye and Israel enjoyed good relations for decades. The coming to power of the AKP in 2002 introduced an element of uncertainty into the relationship. However, there was no major disturbance until the “one-minute” incident at the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 30, 2009, where Prime Minister Erdoğan, in the presence of President Shimon Peres, strongly denounced Israel for its attitude toward the Palestinians. This marked the beginning of the downturn.

Okumaya devam et →

A World of Conflict

Bir Cevap Yazın

October 9, 2023

Following the recent developments in Nagorno-Karabakh, Presidents Aliyev and Pashinyan were supposed to meet in Granada, Spain on October 5. Only days before the scheduled meeting, French Foreign Minister Colonna visited Yerevan where she said: “I would like to publicly state that France has agreed on future contracts with Armenia which will allow the delivery of military equipment to Armenia so that it can ensure its defense.” You’ll understand that I can’t go into more detail at the moment.” A few days later, citing unnamed sources, Azerbaijani media said that Mr. Aliyev had decided against the Granada meeting after France and Germany allegedly objected to President Erdoğan’s participation in the talks. French promise to send arms to Armenia was only a knee-jerk reaction, a reflection of Paris’ colonial instincts during times of trouble in Africa. It undermines efforts to achieve peace. Should Paris be interested in peace-making somewhere, it can turn to Libya, a country that was completely devastated thanks to the Sarkozy-led intervention in violation of a UN Security Council Resolution.

Okumaya devam et →

China-US Competition in the Middle East

Bir Cevap Yazın

June 21, 2023

The title of one of my recent posts was, “A Light Breeze of Change in the Middle East”. Hopefully, it would continue to blow more and more strongly and turn into a “wind of change” after decades and decades of conflict, external intervention, and self-destruction.

A brief look at the past developments:

Okumaya devam et →

The Global South Plus

Bir Cevap Yazın

March 13, 2023

On February 23, 2023, the UN General Assembly through its Resolution A/ES-11/L.7, once again called for ending the war in Ukraine and demanded Russia’s immediate withdrawal from the country in line with the UN Charter. The voting was very similar to last year’s Resolution ES‑11/4. And the message of the majority was the same: “End the war.”

Okumaya devam et →