Conspiracy theories are instruments of creative thinking. Yet, there is a huge difference between creative thinking and insisting on selective facts that only align with a theory.

In the wake of the Arab League’s embargo against Syria, a new period is ahead for the Baathist regime.

It is politically, economically and historically impossible for Turkey to abandon its “zero problems with neighbors” policy – no matter what happens in Syria.

Turkey is so involved in developments in the Middle East that it cannot be a mere spectator to what is currently taking place.

Turkey, after a long time, is undertaking elections to build a new future instead of overcoming a crisis situation.

SETA PANEL DISCUSSION    Chair:     Talip Küçükcan, SETA    Panelists:    Taha Özhan, SETA     İhsan Dağı, METU    Mustafa Akyol, Star Newspaper  Tarih: May 26, 2011 Thursday  Saat: 15.00-17.00  Yer: SETA, Ankara

Debates on the changing political landscape in the run up to the 2011 elections are of critical importance for the future the Turkey.

Bin Laden whom George W. Bush had declared would be captured "dead or alive" after the 9/11 attacks was killed by the Obama administration.

Once Turkey considers and comes to terms with the challenge of formulating a new political language, it can rise to the level it aspires to as a new actor in a new region and in a new global order.

Political demonstrations in Tunisia and Egypt have sparked a century old discussion: Is Turkey a model for the Middle East?

Lebanon is a microcosm of Middle Eastern conflicts, and it has often turned into a battlefield of conflicting regional and international actors.

The talk of a “new Turkey” is generating lively debates both in Turkey and abroad. Last week we discussed  Washington where the US government was trying to recover from the embarrassment of WikiLeaks.

The activism of late observed in Turkish foreign policy demonstrates a clear preference for a regional approach to international relations. It has been almost a mantra for Turkey’s new foreign policy elite to promote regional actors’ ownership of economic and security affairs in their own neighborhood. Various such initiatives that Turkey has been spearheading recently in its adjacent regions, including the Middle East, Caucasus, Balkans and beyond, underscore Turkey’s emergence as a regional power willing and able to assume leadership roles in those regions. Turkey has been pursuing customs and visa liberalization with many of its neighbors, while initiating strategic cooperation councils with others. Similar to Turkey’s initiation of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation in the 1990s, Turkey has also launched a Caucasus Stability and Cooperation Platform. Complementing these efforts are various other bilateral or trilateral processes under its patronage, such as the ones between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, or between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

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

SETA PUBLIC LECTURE By  Ulaş Doğa Eralp,  Visiting Assistant Professor of Conflict Resolution, Sabancı University Date: July 8, 2010 Thursday  Time: 16.00 – 18.00 Venue: SETA Foundation, Ankara

SETA PUBLIC LECTURE     Professor Robert W. Hefner     Director, Institute on Culture, Religion, and World Affairs, Boston University   Date: May 11, 2010 Tuesday Time: 16.00 - 18.00 Venue: SETA, Ankara

Prime Minister Erdogan’s December 7th White House meeting with President Obama re-emphasized theimportance of Turkey to both the United States and its Western allies.