Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is considering either incorporating the KRG peshmerga into the Iraqi military or keeping it as a minor local force. It is very obvious to what extent this recession troubles the KRG, which has tried to realize self-governance since 1991. It is safe to say that the situation has traumatized the collective memory of Kurdish nationalists.

Ankara needs to search for ways to tackle possible regional conflicts that could arise in the post-referendum era

In terms of safeguarding regional stability, the key issue is protecting the territorial integrity of even the most fragile states in the Middle East through collaborative efforts

The two countries may find some areas in which to work together in the changing region. There are already many speculations about the possible positioning of this normalization in the changing balance of power in the Middle East and shifting alliances.

The votes to the Alliance for Employment, Prosperity and Integration led by the Democratic Party (DP) of Albania remaining around 40 percent mean that the 2-term PD ruling is soon to end in the country.

Some Western nations, including the United States, are likely to be irked by a Turkey that intensifies its Somalia policy and takes other steps with the aim of restoring area balances, but that is the only way in which Turkey could contribute to bringing durable peace.

Turkey does not have an interest in positioning the AK Party government as a belligerent in the Syrian war just as it does not have an interest in putting the CHP in a Baathist position.

Syria has become one of the few friends Iran has left, after it was blatantly sanctioned by the West, the U.S and other states in the region after the Islamic revolution.

SETA PANEL   Oturum Başkanı:     Talip Küçükcan, SETA    Konuşmacılar:    Walid Saffour, Suriye  İnsan Hakları Komitesi (SHRC) Başkanı    Nadim Houry, İHİÖ Başkan Yrdc. ve Ortadoğu ve Kuzey Afrika Sorumlusu    Cengiz Çandar, Radikal Gazetesi Yazarı    Tarih: 26 Nisan 2012 Perşembe  Saat: 11.00-13.00  Yer: SETA, Ankara Salonu

Any regional conflict in the Balkans, would not only allow the countries to drift into turmoil, but would also threaten the security of Europe. 

 SETA PANEL DISCUSSION  Chair:     Taha Özhan, SETA    Panelists:     Ali Çarkoğlu, Sabancı Univ.       Cengiz Çandar, Radikal     Yavuz Baydar, Sabah  Date: June 15, 2011 Wednesday  Time: 14.00-16.00  Venue: SETA, Ankara   

SETA PUBLIC LECTURE Chair:       İhsan Dağı, METU Speaker:       Roger Cohen Date: October 21, 2010 Thursday Time: 16.00 Venue: SETA Foundation, Ankara

Recent years have made it clear that NATO is going through a transformation process; Turkey will be one of the allies most affected by this process. Both the future of NATO and Turkey’s perception of NATO membership will be at stake unless the allies can reach consensus on the core strategic issues of the transformation agenda. Analysts urgently need to come up with convincing answers to the following questions: In which ways has NATO’s transformation been going through? Why does Turkey feel uneasy with some aspects of the process? What steps should Turkey take in order to ensure that the transformation of the Alliance is viewed positively at home?

BBC covered the story as a "landmark visit to Armenia." CNN called it "football diplomacy." French President Nicolas Sarkozy applauded the visit as "courageous and historic."

Turkey has been involved, historically and demographically, with many of the regions of “frozen conflict” in post-Soviet space. At this point, one might consider the position of Turkey as being at the epicenter of Euro-Atlantic and Russian extremes concerning the frozen conflicts. Georgia, since 1991, has been considered a valuable “strategic partner” by Turkey for several reasons. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan’s Caucasus Pact idea is a good opportunity to create an inclusive (Russia+Turkey+Georgia+Armenia+Azerbaijan) new foreign policy approach at this stage. This approach should be merged with the representation of all the frozen or unfrozen conflict areas, peoples, ethnic groups and regions included under the roof of such an alliance.

Kosovo’s independence has revealed shifting strategic landscapes, security concerns and domestic developments in regional and international politics with significant implications for all actors in the region. Russia calculated to restore its lost ‘superpower’ status and control Serbia’s strategic oil industries. Turkey’s prompt recognition of independence increased its impact and prevented a stronger Greek-Serb-Russian axis in the region, while strengthening its Western identity.  Kosovo’s independence will be a test case for keeping peace and stability in the Balkans within the new dynamics of regional and international politics.

This is the question everybody is seeking an answer for. The Bush administration thinks it knows what the power is for and Mr. Bush believes he is putting it to good use in Iraq, Afghanistan, potentially in Iran and elsewhere. But the hard realities of war and what is happening in the real world belie this false sense of confidence.