TR-US relations Archives - Page 25 of 26

So Turkey has the OIC conference without al-Bashir

November 11, 2009 by erkan

With the relief of al-Bashir not coming- I speculate that gov’t requested him not to come instead of rejecting his visit to save face- OIC summit takes place without much incidence? I guess so. But western media increasingly ask where Turkey heads. OIC summit triggered another wave of op-eds in this line. Turkey is not only making friends with Islamic countries but also other non-Islamic countries. Her foreign policy cannot easily be dubbed as being Islamized as many commentators argue…

Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul checks his time as he waits for other leaders at the COMCEC Economic Summit in Istanbul, November 9, 2009. COMCEC is the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

REUTERS/Murad Sezer

Al-Bashir is a test for credibility

by YAVUZ BAYDAR

Conducting foreign policy requires finesse, elegance and sophistication, but most of all, consistency. This is particularly true of a democracy. Falling into double standards, although not always willingly implemented, is one of the characteristics of the community of countries that claim to be sensitive to human rights and violations thereof.

Erdogan’s blind faith in Muslims | Seth Freedman | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

Kamil Pasha quotes from BBC:
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan questioned the charges against Mr Bashir and said that ?no Muslim could perpetrate a genocide?, according to Turkey?s Anatolia news agency?
PM Erdoğan has such a naive cenception of Islam, I should say..

ANALYSIS: Cancelled Turkey visit by Sudan leader raises questions – Monsters and Critics

Turkey playing with the wolves photo: (!)

Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (C) poses for a group photo with his counterparts Abdullah Gul of Turkey (L) and Bashar al-Assad of Syria (R) during the COMCEC Economic Summit in Istanbul, November 9, 2009. COMCEC is the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).REUTERS/Osman Orsal

Turkey seems to have officially recognized Iraqi Kurdistan…

November 1, 2009 by erkan

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu releases a white pigeon during the opening of the new Turkish Consulate in Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad October 31, 2009. REUTERS/Khalid al-Mousuly

Turkey: Time to Rebuild Middle East

by USAK

Source: Turkish Daily Mail
Date: Saturday, 31 October 2009 0:24
Tags: Turkey and Middle East, Middle East, Kurd, Kurdish, Iraq
——————————————————————————–

ARBIL – Turkey extended a regional peace drive to Iraqi Kurds when Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu met with top Kurdish officials in a landmark visit to Arbil.

?It is time for Arabs, Turks, Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis to rebuild the Middle East. Therefore, it is time for everyone to take brave steps,? Davutoglu told a joint press conference with Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani late on Friday. Barzani praised Davutoğlu’s visit, saying it is even more significant now as the Middle East is passing through such a sensitive time.
Davutoğlu’s visit to Arbil, the first by a Turkish foreign minister, is a sign that a taboo maintained in Turkish foreign policy until recently is no longer in place.

Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani (R) holds a joint conference with Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Arbil, 310 km (190 miles) north of Baghdad, October 30, 2009. Picture taken October 30, 2009. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari

Read more

Membership by 2015?

October 7, 2009 by erkan

That’s a Foreign Ministry hope or fantasy. I am not too pessimistic about the EU membership process but it is a bit early. Super-slowness is the rule and targetting 2015 is to fasten the process which could disorient all the parties:)

Ah well, while EU membership process is a little peripherialized in the current state of Turkish foreign policy making, still it makes news, still happenings. A huge roundup on related issues:

People gather under The Eiffel Tower, lighted in the colours of Turkey as part of events marking the “Season of Turkey in France”, in Paris October 6, 2009. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes

Turkish FM: ?Turkey seeks EU membership by 2015?

Turkey is counting on joining the European Union by 2015 to bolster both its and the EU?s global role, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said on Friday. ?Even 2015 is too late, not only for us, it will be too late for the EU as well,? Davutoğlu said at the European Policy Centre in Brussels.

The Eiffel Tower is seen lighted in the colours of Turkey as part of events marking the ‘Season of Turkey in France’, in Paris October 6, 2009. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes

Read more

Patriot missiles and more on Turkish foreign policy

September 24, 2009 by erkan

Patriot issue came out of blue and we will see where it will lead to.. Yigal’s substantive piece and a more provocative link in addition to other issues in Turkish foreign policy..

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan gestures as he speaks about Turkey’s global priorities to a gathering at Princeton University Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009, in Princeton. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

Patriot Games

by Yigal Schleifer

There’s a certain feeling of Cold War déjà vu in Turkey these days. Back then, NATO ally Turkey was seen as a front line state in the standoff against a dangerous nuclear power and was even home to American missiles (the intermediate range Jupiters, quietly removed as part of the deal made to end the Cuban missile crisis). Cut to 2009, when western ally Turkey is again being viewed by some as a front-line defense against a (potential) nuclear power — this time around Iran — and might soon be home to an American-made long-range missile defense system.

After Obama

April 9, 2009 by erkan

There is of course a huge flow of journalistic production. This is just a small bite. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to collect more links. In the very end, there are also a few links I had collected under the category "americana".

Taking it to the Kids

from Istanbul Calling by Yigal Schleifer

I had the chance yesterday to attend Barack Obama’s town hall meeting with some 100 Turkish university students. The event was broadcast live on Turkish television and seemed to me like another successful public diplomacy effort, particularly in a country where America’s image (or at least that of the American government) had sunk very low. Obama clearly has star power — "I love him!" one young woman told me — but listened carefully to the students’ questions and delivered serious, but down to earth, answers.

Obama and me

April 7, 2009 by erkan

A message written by US president Barack Obama in the visitors’ book at the Ataturk Mausoleum in Ankara. Obama, seeking to boost ties with a key Muslim ally, touted Washington’s strong ties with Turkey Monday and tread carefully on neighbouring Armenia’s decades-old genocide claims.

(AFP/Pool/Hakan Goktepe)

It is always a pity of a news junky like me not to be able to follow a great event properly. Mr. Obama is in town and it is no doubt that this is a historical moment and signifies the rightness of new Turkish foreign policy moves.

By this Sunday evening (12 April) my civilian lifes ends. By April 10, I will learn how long I will be in the army and where I will be stationed.

In the remaining days, I have to deal with tons of technicalities in addition to finishing up grading and extra classes.

Right at this moment, Tuesday morning before my 1^st year course lecture, I have to thank Anthony Potoczniak, my dear friend from the department, who had sent me an email and told me that he will take care of my dissertation submission process. That has been a growing concern for me. I had to submit the hard copy of my dissertation to Graduate Office along with a series of formalities and right now I have this great relief that it can be done. Thank you very much Anthony!

As Taraf headlined stated yesterday Obama could win the elections in Turkey, too. Turks like him at many levels. One is certainly pragmatic. His visit means the real warming up of relations between Turkey and US. We had that tension since the beginning of Iraq War and now that we can be allies again:) It seems that like Mr. Clinton, Mr. Obama receives popular sympathy while Mr. Bush could not get any.

In the mean time, I have to deal with technicalities in my last days and I am really sad that I cannot follow this event properly…

For the news roundup:

Turkish Digest

TurcoPundit

As Mr. Obama comes to town…

April 4, 2009 by erkan

Yuvakuran collects nearly all pieces on Turkey-US relations. Check out this blog for the latest… Talking to Turkey, but Islam is listening Mr. Obama and Turkey

Obama will be in town- soon

April 1, 2009 by erkan

Classy advertising magazine MediaCat has this cover for April. In my Facebook news-stream, I observe a reaction from Kemalist friends. They call for a protest against the magazine because it replaces Atatürk’s face from this classical photo in which Atatürk teaches the new alphabet to citizens…Title says "An educating leader and his constituency"

an older roundup follows:

"Turkish PM Erdogan confirms U.S. President Obama visit on April 6-7

March 19, 2009 by erkan

The New Wave of Foreign Policy Activism in Turkey

DIIS This 40-page Danish report investigates continuities and ruptures in Turkish foreign policy, with special reference to Europeanization

A round up in Turkish foreign policy…

Warm days for US-Turkey relations

March 10, 2009 by erkan

Clinton’s visit and then Obama’s would be visit in a month are perceived as a sign for better days between these two countries. It is yet to be seen whether Mr. Obama will take Turkey to talk to Islamic World. I believe it is still early to think Turkey as the heart of Islamic World. Turkey’s new foreign policy aims at that but Turkey is still alien to most of the Islamic World. But who will represent the "Islamic World"? Saudi Arabia is moving to the leadership of Middle Eastern Arabic countries but that does not represent Islamic World itself. An Islamic World possible? There certainly a problem of representation…

Hillary Clinton in town!

March 7, 2009 by erkan

Found in Girls with Guns . 1925. "Girls’ rifle team, University of Maryland." National Photo. View full size.

Public sensitivity criteria for using Turkish territory

ISTANBUL – The use of Turkish ports for the U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq appears to be one of the most important items in the agenda of the Foreign Secretary Hillary Clinton’s visit to Ankara this weekend.

Anatolian Armenians in 1915

March 3, 2009 by erkan

Mavi Boncuk provides us a National Geography article on Anatolian Armenians that was published back in 1915…

ARMENIA AND THE ARMENIANS by Hester Donaldson Jenkins

By M.A.M

What really happened in 1915?. 1915 Article in National Geographic is quite a source. The article was written by a professor at the American College for Girls in Constantinople from 1900-1909……

A round up on Turkish foreign policy and EU process related issues follows:

A round up in Turkey's foreign policy issues…

February 23, 2009 by erkan

A German court’s visa regulation about Turkish visitors is notable….

Israeli Chief of Staff officially apologizes because of Gen. Mizrahi’s statements…

Mr. Obama will not likely to use the word "genocide", so that there is less tension between TR-US recently..

There more op-eds about Turkey’s new foreign policy attempts and more questions arise whether Turkey leaves the "Western" front or not…

and there is more of course…

"Turkey slammed for slowing down reform again

February 13, 2009 by erkan

the European Parliament’s foreign affairs committee released its report on Turkey a few days ago. It was expectedly critical. In the mean time, Turkey uses her NATO cards in his foreign policy dealings and of course Middle East affairs remain to be a significant field in Turkish foreign policy that might possibly influence TR-US relations…and CHP has taken anew interest in the EU process. Mr. Baykal paid a visit to Brussels…

Turkey slammed for slowing down reform again

As it has done on various occasions over the last three years, the European Parliament’s foreign affairs committee yesterday (11 February) expressed concern about a "continuous slowdown of the reform process" in Turkey, in a resolution adopted by overwhelming majority…

"Stirrings" in the EU process…

February 5, 2009 by erkan

Turkey’s EU process seems to have peripherialized in Turkish foreign policy but that does not mean there is no progress. There is at least some "stirring" recently. The new chief negoatiator, Egemen Bağış, whose sole duty will be the negotiation itself will certainly have an impact. There is a huge roundup here on TR’s EU process. Towards the end of the post, there is a roundup on the Davos aftermath. There are a few pieces on linking TR’s EU process to developments in the Middle East. Finally, there is the case of Atilla Olgaç, that I could not cover before. I have to agree with Hans who labelled him as "just another idiot amongst others"……

Paylaş/Share this:

Like this:

Paylaş/Share this:

Like this:

Paylaş/Share this:

Like this:

Paylaş/Share this:

Like this:

There is of course a huge flow of journalistic production. This is just a small bite. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to collect more links. In the very end, there are also a few links I had collected under the category "americana".

Paylaş/Share this:

Like this:

Paylaş/Share this:

Like this:

Paylaş/Share this:

Like this:

Paylaş/Share this:

Like this:

DIIS This 40-page Danish report investigates continuities and ruptures in Turkish foreign policy, with special reference to Europeanization

A round up in Turkish foreign policy…

Paylaş/Share this:

Like this:

Paylaş/Share this:

Like this:

Paylaş/Share this:

Like this:

Mavi Boncuk provides us a National Geography article on Anatolian Armenians that was published back in 1915…

A round up on Turkish foreign policy and EU process related issues follows:

Paylaş/Share this:

Like this:

Paylaş/Share this:

Like this:

Paylaş/Share this:

Like this:

Paylaş/Share this:

Like this: