Turkey’s lost and future opportunities in Syria

by Foti Benlisoy and Annalena Di Giovanni Turkey A few months ago, in January 2013, an accident in a steel factory of Gaziantep, a bordering town in southwest Turkey, claimed the lives of seven workers. Under normal circumstances such news would have passed unobserved and eventually forgotten; Turkey is after all a country in which Read more

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News Analysis: A political solution of the Syrian crisis might be in the making

Syria Since the last disappointing meeting of the so-called Friends of Syria in Morocco, which was not attended by Secretary Clinton, diplomats have been active trying to find common ground for solving the Syrian crisis. Most notably, there has been a change of tone in the statements by the supporters of the opposition forces represented Read more

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What is behind Saudi Arabia’s uncharacteristic aggressiveness?

Until before Cablegate, when in February 2010 WikiLeaks began releasing classified U.S. cables, Saudi Arabia was known for its quiet diplomacy. Then its secret dealings were revealed and exposed its actual dealings. Regionally, released documents exposed Saudi Arabia as an enthusiastic proponent of military intervention in Iran. Privately, the Saudi rulers told U.S. officials that Read more

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Will American voters re-elect President Obama?

Or can Mitt Romney offer them a viable alternative? But an alternative to what and why? As it is generally the case, extraordinary circumstances must be present for an incumbent president to lose re-elections. The last time this happened, President Bush (41st) was fired because of the economy. Bill Clinton rode the spiffy slogan, “It Read more

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Why are Turkey’s ruling party leaders struggling in developing a consistent, enduring Middle East policy?

Ahmet Davutoğlu On Thursday, the Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu responded to opposition parties’ members of parliament who accused the government of war mongering on Syria.  “A new Middle East is emerging and we will continue to lead this. Turkey will pioneer this order of peace. … The Turkish people of 74 million are with the Syrian Read more

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U.S. army official: Mideast peace stalemate endangers American interests in region

Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis, head of U.S. Central Command, says non-resolution of Israel-Palestine conflict exacts “steep price” on U.S. security matters. Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee on 3/1/11, Gen. James Mattis, Commander, US Central Command (CENTCOM) spoke at length about the Middle East (view Video of the hearing).  He noted that among a host Read more

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