The future seems almost dark for Western values which are under attack by the revival of racism, populism, Islamphobia and xenephobia in societies

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

Biotechnology represents one of the key platform sectors for development. Thus, Turkish entrepreneurs must expand into this area more aggressively

Ankara is firmly back in action as an emerging power acting proactively in regional and global matters

The Obama administration, having rejected the safe zone and other policies that could have helped moderates, seems intent on aggravating instability by supporting the YPG

The G20 has to focus on finding solutions for the current financial problems, on increasing income equality and youth unemployment in the world.

The moral of this true story for starters on Turkey is to never take anything at face value in Turkey's wild politics.

SETA PANEL  Chair:     Talip Küçükcan     SETA Participants:     Dr. Bashir Ansari     Afghan intellectual and writer     Prof. M. Nazif Shahrani     Chair, Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures & Central Asian and Middle Eastern Studies,     Indiana University, United States Date: August 13, 2009 Time: 11.00 Venue: SETA Foundation, Ankara  

Comparing his philosophy and that of Hegel, the German philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein is reported to have said that while Hegel tries to show all differences to be the same, he sees all similarities as essentially different.

A new Pew report has brought alarming news: Anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim attitudes are on the rise in Europe. While the negative view of Muslims is higher than that of Jews, there is an interesting correlation between the two.

The "A Common Word Between Us and You" initiative was the subject of a major conference at the Yale Divinity School last week.

Everybody from Ankara to Brussels is asking the question “With the Justice and Devlopment Party (AK Party) strengthening its position in government and Abdullah Gül as the new president, will Turkey renew its efforts to join the EU as a full member?” No matter how the AK Party and the Turkish people answer the question, much still depends on what happens next in Europe.

SETA CONFERENCE By  Kim Beng Phar  Visiting Fellow, Waseda University, Organization of Asian Studies Date: August 27, 2007 Monday Time: 17.00 - 19.00 Venue: SETA Foundation, Ankara

The debate over Islam and democracy continues to gain momentum. As the state of democracy in Muslim countries has become a global debate, scores of people from academics, journalists and TV commentators to policy makers and NGOs are discussing the relationship between Islam and democratic values. Numerous meetings, panels, conferences, workshops are held to assess the state of democracy, civil society and human rights in the Muslim world

In no period of recorded history have human beings known about different cultures as much as we do. Thanks to the pervasive nature of globalization, what happens in Washington, London or France has an immediate impact on what positions are taken in Istanbul, Cairo or Kuala Lumpur. Our global public space is so powerful yet also so elusive that it leads many to believe that more information brings more understanding. Getting to know each other from close up, however, is not always a smooth and easy experience. It may result in some pleasant surprises and enriching experiences. Yet it may also result in disappointment, frustration and mistrust. In the current state of relations between Muslim and Western societies, we are doomed when we refuse to recognize each other in one way or another. Yet, we also run up against tremendous difficulties when we show the courage and honesty of knowing each other closely for there is too long a history of doubt, mistrust and refusal.