In the first debate before the November elections, President Biden's performance against Trump could be a game-changer for the race. The Trump campaign has succeeded in raising doubts about Biden's age, awareness, and vitality, and has also sought to create controversy around the format and neutrality of the CNN-hosted debate. If Biden performs well, the Trump camp will likely dismiss it as biased due to CNN's perceived favoritism towards Democrats. However, if Biden makes any gaffes or appears mentally unsteady, they plan to exploit this to the fullest. It wouldn't be surprising to see Trump continue his classic political style of declaring victory regardless of the outcome. While a strong performance from Biden won't end Trump's campaign, any doubts about Biden's mental sharpness will make it much harder for his campaign to recover.

Iranians are preparing to go to the polls on June 28, and this election seems to be more exciting than recent parliamentary and presidential elections. The reason for this is the candidacy of reformist Masoud Pezeshkian.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has been insistently warning the whole world that the Israeli atrocities in Palestine, especially the Israeli attacks against senior Hamas officials in Lebanon and Iranian targets in Syria, may spread the ongoing war in the Palestinian territories to the entire Middle East. Fidan pointed out that the attacks against commercial ships in the Red Sea by the Iranian proxy Houthi militants show the scale of the tension in the region. He warned the related regional states and global powers that if they did not deter Israel, the war could spread to the region. And the regional war will end in a way that every regional state will lose.

When we look at the G7 summit communiqué, we see an extensive list of problems related to various crisis areas and challenges in the international system. From Ukraine to Taiwan, from artificial intelligence to energy, leaders have pledged support for different initiatives in many problematic areas. While the joint declaration is filled with a series of good intentions, it is difficult to say that there are clear proposals leading to solutions. Although there are references to many initiatives previously agreed upon in other platforms, it is impossible to find agreement proposals that can provide lasting solutions in crisis areas such as Ukraine, Taiwan, and Palestine. This situation highlights how difficult it is for Washington to produce concrete solutions around comprehensive strategic policies and underscores the weakness of Biden's global leadership record.

Federal Reserve (Fed) Chairman Jerome Powell announced at the eagerly awaited meeting, where markets awaited a signal of interest rate cuts, that they foresee a single rate cut by the end of this year. Despite May's monthly inflation rate being zero and annual inflation standing at 3.3%, Powell stated that more data is needed for a rate cut. Although American markets responded with historical highs to positive inflation news, indicating that the Fed will not act hastily, Powell emphasized that the Fed will not lower rates without being sure it is moving toward the 2% inflation target, aiming for a soft landing for the American economy. President Biden urgently needs such a victory declaration before the November elections, but the Fed's cautious approach delays the perception that the economy is on track.

The European Parliament election results indicate a rise in support for center-right and far-right candidates. Pro-European Union groups, which hold the majority in the parliament, saw the biggest losses among liberals and greens. This shift suggests that Europe will inevitably lean more towards right-wing policies in the coming period. Ignoring the rise of the far-right and persisting with left and liberal policies will only strengthen the right, making a shift towards more right-leaning politics by the center inevitable. Similarly, in American politics, the political cost of left and liberal policies has been bolstering Trump, leading Biden to adopt more centrist and right-leaning policies as the elections approach. While these rightward shifts may provide short-term solutions, it is clear that without a comprehensive political agenda, they will be insufficient to curb the rise of the right.

The Western world has been in a deep political and social crisis for the last several decades. After losing its comparative advantage in the economy, the West began to lose its control over global issues. Although the West declared an ultimate victory with the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, it soon started to follow a conflictual relationship toward the non-Western parts of the world, especially after the Sept. 11 attacks. Then, the global economic crisis at the end of the first decade of the 21st century hit the West badly. Many Western countries lost their economic leverage vis-a-vis non-Western countries. Many countries began to increase their strategic autonomy and began to follow more independent foreign policies.

In the dynamic landscape of global politics, Türkiye’s bid for membership in the BRICS group – which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – represents a strategic move poised to reshape its future. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan’s recent attendance at the BRICS meetings in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, underscores Türkiye’s efforts to refine its foreign policy. Although Türkiye has not yet formally applied for membership, Fidan expressed interest in joining BRICS during his recent visit to Beijing.