November 17, 2008
November 15, 2008
"Turkey-Obama ties hurt by four obstacles
August 28, 2008
"Montreux And Turkey
Montreux And Turkey
BY NASUHI GUNGORSTAR- We should be watching developments in the Caucasus more closely. Yesterday Russia officially recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, in response to requests from the two breakaway Georgian provinces, according to President Dmitry Medvedev. Considering the developments beginning with Georgia's attack on South Ossetia earlier this month, this latest move might not seem surprising. But in terms of the bigger picture, one can say that through its recognition Russia took a risky step in a thorny area."
This might never happen:
EU waits for Turkey to break its political crises cycle
Now is the time for Turkey to eliminate obstacles and to continue on its path to European Union accession, said the EU enlargement commissioner in an article he wrote for Turkish daily Milliyet,I am not sure what Mehmet Ali Birand means. Just listened the speeches of new generals. Not a single change in their discourse. Anti-globalist, anti-EU, anti postmodern. Yeah the new Army general accused of postmodern thought that are a threat to nation-state!!! :
New era at the TSK
Mehmet Ali BirandAugust 26, 2008
"Anti-Turk Biden's Pelosi impasse
If things continue like this, Turkey-US relations will have tense moments. Mr. Bidden is good for Mr. Obama but not for Turkey. Or is it really the case?
An anti-Turkish vice president according to Hürriyet. He is known to defend Armenian, Greek, Cyprus lobby theses. But Foreign Policy experts state that Turkey is already changing is foreign policy attitudes and there won't much new tension btw Turkey and US....
Barack Obama chooses Senator Joe Biden as his Vice Presidential running mate for 2008
Anti-Turk Biden's Pelosi impasse
It is impossible to expect that Ankara will welcome Barack Obama's decision to appoint Senator Joe Biden as his running mate.August 22, 2008
"What did you do for the EU today?
This is a column title by İsmet Berkan but it well portrays my state of affairs; sort of. For the last few days, I am satisfied with the pace of writing and unfortunately these lonely office hours in evenings do not help. I would prefer a crowded and noisy office to this silent and being-alone office. I am glad this damn summer is ending. and here comes a round up mostly on Turkey's fantasies with all-track diplomacy...
August 19, 2008
Turkey's "'all-track' diplomacy"
AKP leaders are taking a risk by this all-track diplomacy. They might win big or lose big.
They have many in their cadres which could trigger this shift from traditional Turkish foreign policy and there have been signs of it already. Now, they are relieved of the closure ban and they are pushing for it.
After the visit of Iran's leader, now there comes the mini African Summit and a notarious African leader, Bashir comes to Turkey second time in less than a year. As part of a grand plan, these risky visits might work but they are just too risky. The plan is to create independent good, powerful and profitable relations with neigbours. The plan is very innovative. After the 2nd WW, traditional Turkish foreign policy depended on its geostrategic importance for US. This symbolically ended in the first Gulf War where Turkey lost great and it became one of the sources of economic crisis in 2001. Major reliance on EU process in recent years also ended when AKP could not get enough of the process. Since 2004, AKP lost its belief in EU in general. I don't think this means hostile thinking against EU or US. Although ideologues of the new FP attempt might be uneasy with them, their main goal seems to make Turkey a more equal partner in relations with EU or US.
However, even for those who try to be more neutral to AKP, there is the problem of substance. Is there any substance in possible relations with the new 'allies'? Like it or not, TR has been part of the Western system since 2WW. Political, cultural, economic relations all depended on this system although they were never satisfying. Can there be sustainable relations with others? Particularly when some of the others are subject to systemic hostility?
The ideologues of the AKP Foreign Policy (first person to come to my mind is Prof. Ahmet Davutoğlu, is known to have Neo-Ottoman tendencies. However, he and others seem to be realistic, too.
A new art of 'all-track' diplomacy
Relieved by a Constitutional Court ruling against a ban that helped it avert a political crisis, it was natural for the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, to expect a few days of relaxation.
The Associated Press: Turkey's Gul urges Sudan leader to end suffering
Sudan's Bashir on visit to Turkey
Sudan's president makes his first foreign trip since he was indicted on genocide charges by the International Criminal Court.August 18, 2008
When Erkan was working to re-active the blog, Mr. Ahmadinejad visited Istanbul,
oriental show off messed up the daily lives of Istanbul... always smiling Mr. Ahmadinejad is not really sympathetic in this context but he still apologized from Istanbulians, whereas our leaders did not bother to do that. Another center-wise reflex of AKP: Shut up you ordinary people, we are doing energy business here!
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (R) smiles while hugging his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul at the Ciragan Palace in Istanbul August 14, 2008.
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