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   

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?

Turkey’s mediation efforts in the most recent political crisis in Lebanon in January 2011 are driven by the assessment that a possible conflict would directly threaten Turkey’s interests.

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

14 Haziran 2010 Ceylan InterContinental Hotel - İstanbul Konuşmacılar: Abellah Boussole,Basheer Nafi,Burhan Köroğlu,Bülent Aras ,Cengiz Çandar,Fahmy Howeidi,Hatem Ete,Jawad Al Hamad,Mustafa Al-Labbad,Mustafa El-Murabit ,Nelly Hana,Pakinam Sharqawee,Rafik Abdessalem Bouchlaka,Taha Özhan,Talip Küçükcan,Tarek Abdelgelil,Wesim Kalajieh

Since September 11, 2001, America's foreign policy and the future of the global system have occupied a central place in current international affairs debates. The neocon arguments became increasingly influential during the last years of the Clinton administration and found resonance in the Bush administration. In the aftermath of the 9/11 events, both the ideological arguments and the excuses were in place for the realization of the neocon project. This period witnessed the deterioration of already weakened international institutions and the "global order." The end results were, among other things, the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan as well as the tacit support for the Israeli attacks on Lebanon and Gaza. The overall political cost of all these policies was roundly criticized by many and analyzed as the paramount example of American "unilateralism."

"All options are on the table” is the best phrase to describe how Turkey feels about Israel’s attack on humanitarian aid flotilla carrying more than 600 activists from 32 countries. What happened on Sunday night is a real game changer. Israel will, most likely, no longer be seen as a friendly state nor an ally, but will be treated as a rogue state by Turkey.

SETA PANEL DISCUSSION Chair: Taha Özhan, SETA Panelists:        Bülent Aras, SETA & İTÜ     Mahmood Monshipouri,     San Francisco State University Date: March 22, 2010 Monday Time: 11.00 – 12.30 Venue: SETA Foundation, Ankara

SETA PANEL DISCUSSION Chair:       Bulent Aras, Bulent ARAS, SETA, Coordinator, Foreign Policy Studies Panelists:        Robert Malley, International Crisis Group, Middle East and North Africa Program Director     Joost Hiltermann, International Crisis Group, Deputy Program Director, Middle East and North Africa     Peter Harling, International Crisis Group, Project Director (Iraq, Lebanon and Syria) Date: March 12, 2010 Friday Time: 13.00 – 14.15 Venue: SETA Foundation, 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.

Orta Doğu siyasetinin kadim aktörlerinden İran, bölgedeki etkisini artırıyor mu? İran, nükleer çalışmalarını hangi gerekçelerle temellendiriyor? ABD’nin nükleer tehdit algısı ne kadar gerçek? Diplomatik müzakereler nükleer krizi çözebilir mi? Türkiye bu süreçte nasıl bir rol oynuyor ve oynamalı? İran, dünya siyasetindeki yeni yapılanmaların neresinde yer alacak? “İran Nükleer Programı ve Orta Doğu Siyaseti” son yılların en gerilimli süreçlerinden olan İran-ABD nükleer krizini farklı ve derinlikli bir perspektifle ele alıyor. Nükleer krizin siyasi, iktisadi, psikolojik ve ideolojik arka planını masaya yatırıyor ve okuyucuya kapsamlı bir analitik çerçeve sunuyor.

SETA CONFERENCE By  Kim Beng Phar  Visiting Scholar, Waseda University, Organization of Asian Studies / SETA Research Fellow Date: November 15, 2007 Thursday Time: 15.00 - 16.30 Venue: SETA Foundation, Ankara   The Impact and Implication of East Asia as a Global Political Actor: The Risk/Perils of Indifference In, and by Turkey

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s visit to Ankara last Tuesday is important for the current state of Turkish-Iraqi relations. The visit focused on trade and security, and these are two crucial areas for both countries

Iraq is like a miniature of the Middle East with its population structure and social characteristics. Each domestic actor in Iraq has relations with ethnic and religious groups in the neighboring countries.