Experts Respond: Unraveling the Daesh Assault on Santa Maria Church
On Jan. 28, an armed attack occurred at the Santa Maria Church in Istanbul’s Sarıyer district, resulting in the loss of one life. The Counterterrorism and Intelligence Branch of the Istanbul Police Department arrested two foreign suspected members of the Daesh terrorist organization. Some 34 individuals, also detained in connection with the attack, were brought before a magistrate for potential arrest. The Interior Ministry reported 1,046 operations against Daesh from June 1, 2023, to present. Why did Daesh – dormant since 2017 – once again target Türkiye? Is the assault on Santa Maria Church an isolated incident, or does it signify the manifestation of the organization's broader regional plans? How can we decipher the attack given the timing, method, target, and profile of the assailants? What is the status of counterterrorism operations against Daesh? Prominent experts have provided their assessments for our readers.
Sibel Düz
Behram Ömer Özdemir
Kutluhan Görücü
Çağatay Balcı
Çağatay Cebe
Yusuf Ahmet Özdemir
Experts Respond: How will the deadly earthquakes impact Türkiye’s foreign relations?
Southern Türkiye was jolted by twin earthquakes on February 6 that caused unprecedented devastation across an extremely vast area, impacting 11 provinces. Almost on par with the scale of the devastation, Türkiye has also received a huge amount of humanitarian aid from many countries with which Türkiye both has cordial and strained relations. In light of the considerable level of solidarity showcased by many countries, it is still unclear whether this atmosphere of solidarity and amicability will translate into tangible outcomes in the respective bilateral relations between Türkiye and these nations. Likewise, it is also unclear whether the solidarity displayed by countries with which Türkiye had tense relations until the earthquakes will cause a thaw in bilateral ties and lead to a new chapter in relations. We asked foreign policy experts to weigh in on these questions.
Bilgehan Öztürk
Sibel Düz
Mehmet Uğur Ekinci
Can Acun
Murat Aslan
Kutluhan Görücü
Ferhat Pirinççi
Tunç Demirtaş
What is the purpose of the European Political Community? Is it a realistic proposal? If the Community is formed, how will the EU’s relations with other countries included in the Community be affected? Several experts presented their opinions about these questions for SETA.
We asked the leading Iran experts in Turkey and around the world to analyze the reasons behind the protests in Iran, the demands of the protestors, the Iranian administration’s attitude, the likely future of the protests and their impact on Iran. We present the assessments of those experts below.
We reached out to several experts for more on how to understand the developments in Iraq and what possible future scenarios may be derived from the current situation.
The political situation in Pakistan is still not stable, and a new government is expected to be formed soon. However, at this point, it is important to understand the reasons that led to this turmoil and what the removal of Khan from office means for Pakistan. Within this framework, several experts from Turkey and Pakistan have briefly analyzed the events and their implications, not only for Pakistan but for the region and the world as well.
Experts Respond: President Erdoğan’s Visit to Uzbekistan, Bilateral Relations and Regional Impact
To make sense of the Turkish president’s visit to Uzbekistan and its implications for bilateral relations as well as regional affairs, we hereby present the opinions of five leading experts.
Gloria Shkurti Özdemir
Yaşar Sarı
İlyas Topsakal
Mehmet Yüce
Fırat Purtaş
Kağan Kutluk Sümer
Experts Respond: All Eyes on NATO, 6 Takeaways from the Emergency Summit
This study presents the views of leading experts on NATO’s emergency summit.
Murat Yeşiltaş
Talha Köse
Gloria Shkurti Özdemir
Murat Aslan
Ateşoğlu Nurşin Güney
Çağrı Erhan
Matthew Bryza
Ece Baban
We asked them to evaluate the existing relationship and at the same time assess Turkey’s future role in the strategic alliance. Lastly, each of the experts also provided several policy recommedations for both parties.
For a better understanding of Turkey-Africa relations, we have asked experts to analyze different dimensions such as education, economy, diplomacy, and defense. At the same time, we have touched upon the importance of the ongoing Turkey-Africa Partnership Summit.
