Türkiye

Where next for MIKTA?
Where next for MIKTA?
After seven years, the informal middle power partnership bringing together Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey and Australia (MIKTA), has achieved less than optimists…
As Pakistan and Saudi Arabia drift apart, China moves in
As Pakistan and Saudi Arabia drift apart, China moves in
Pakistan­–Saudi Arabia relations are at a historically low ebb. In November 2018, Saudi Arabia announced a US$6.2 billion loan package for cash-strapped Pakistan. The package…
The essence of timing in politics
The essence of timing in politics
The 13 August announcement of a United Arab Emirates–Israel deal to normalise relations was a significant event. But at the same time, it overshadowed a number of other…
Turkey: Not a team player
Turkey: Not a team player
Turkey is increasingly becoming the piece of the NATO puzzle that just won’t fit. President Recep Erdoğan’s particular brand of Turkish nationalist populism has earned him…
Cashing in the chips at the Trump casino
Cashing in the chips at the Trump casino
Big moves in the Middle East often seek to take advantage of a favourable political climate in Washington. And there has rarely been as favourable time in Washington for some…
Europe under threat
Europe under threat
The novel coronavirus Covid-19 dominates not only the media headlines in Europe but the everyday life of just about anybody. In the federalist European Union, it is still up to…
Syria: The battlefield rules
Syria: The battlefield rules
The Syrian conflict has once again shown just how complicated it can be, along with the ramifications if one side seeks too much change to the status quo. Syrian government…
Erdoğan’s treachery can’t sway Trump’s affections
Erdoğan’s treachery can’t sway Trump’s affections
Even by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s standards, the diplomacy – if you can call it that –  on show at his meeting with US President Donald Trump last Wednesday was brazen…
The worrying precedent of Turkey’s “safe zone”
The worrying precedent of Turkey’s “safe zone”
There is a reason the Kurds say they have “no friend but the mountains”. Time and again human rights atrocities have been perpetrated against them, and they are not strategically…
Turkey’s “safe zone” may prove costly
Turkey’s “safe zone” may prove costly
On 9 October, Turkey launched a military operation, code-named Operation Peace Spring, against US-allied Kurdish forces in north-eastern Syria. Ankara described the goal as…