In the wake of rising geopolitical tensions among major global powers, rising far-right movements and xenophobia, economic protectionism and regional turf wars, nation-states are strongly reasserting themselves

At such a period of time, more constructive policies that will not lead to another conflict in the Gulf and the Middle East are needed

There was no surprise in seeing open or covert U.S. support for various military coups, taking sides in civil wars, or instigating military invasions to "liberate" countries

The current crisis is a prelude to Qatar's disciplining, the deeper polarization between Iran and the Gulf and the undermining of the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas

The U.S.'s official support to the Syrian militant group is likely to c ause real tension at the Erdoğan-Trump meeting

The structural change in the post-April 16 era is truly critical for Turkey's ascendance into the global pecking order and is valuable enough not to be sacrificed to any blackmail attempt

The old continent is rapidly losing its promise to preserve human dignity, fundamental rights and liberties in the deep abyss of its exaggerated fears

The risk of giving verbal assurances without a plan to prevent possible threats to Turkey in the future is a hard proposal to accept.

As the sociopolitical atmosphere gradually shifted towards the confines of the far right and the isolationism in Europe, serious questions about the future of the European project began to be raised

Surprising developments are afoot in the world. A terrorist organisation that claims to be Muslim is shedding blood around the world, including in Turkey.

Erdoğan's principal messages to African leaders focus on establishing long-term social and economic partnerships on the basis of mutual respect and common benefits through capacity building, entrepreneurship and human development

The Trump administration's Middle East policy runs the risk of aggravating the existing chaos in the region. Under the current circumstances, countries without serious domestic problems stand to benefit from the wind of change.

While the whole world braces itself for potential surprises to be displayed by the Trump administration, U.S.-China relations will be especially critical from both a global geopolitics and political economy perspective

When considering the Russian state as European and Western, the world may face a renewed global confrontation between different Western/European power blocs

Since the reversal of recent popular revolutions in the Arab world and the loss of political stability in the wake of several failed states, foreign meddling and proxy wars created a vicious circle whereby radicalism fed instability and instability fed deeper radicalism.

It was no secret that the Obama administration has long maintained the strategy of pursuing controlled confrontation with Vladimir Putin's Russia via micro-conflicts in multiple confrontation zones such as the Asia-Pacific, Ukraine and Syria

Turkey is not conducting foreign policy in a stagnant region. It has to be aware at all times of the developments and shifting balances of power.