2020: The state of play
The year 2019, which set the stage for extraordinary developments, has now ended. Living the fast life must be the distinguishing feature of modern times. Over the last year, the world talked about Brexit, NATO's future, U.S. President Donald Trump's impeachment, Israeli expansionism, the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, protests in Hong Kong, Iran, Iraq, France and Bolivia, trade wars, the S-400 deal, Turkey's local elections, the Syrian civil war, Operation Peace Spring, the assassination of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the Aramco attacks, Turkey's new indigenous car, Kanal Istanbul, U.S. sanctions, economic recovery, the Eastern Mediterranean and Libya.
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Turkey in 2020: Regional power and global actor
The title of my last Daily Sabah column from last year was: “Turkey in 2019: From an Emerging Economy to an Emerging Power.” The article showed how, over the course of just one year, Turkey proved that its economy was robust enough to resist the sustained economic and political attacks inflicted upon it over the last several years and that its military is strong enough to influence global multilateral platforms and sit at the negotiation table as an equal partner with some of the most influential global powers, including the United States and Russia.
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Turkey took three crucial steps in late 2019 to tilt the balance of power in the Eastern Mediterranean. Those military and diplomatic measures, which the country took in the Mediterranean theater to strengthen its hand at the negotiating table, indicate that the Libya question will fare as prominently in Turkey's agenda as the Syria file.
With the decision to deploy troops, Turkey affirmed its plans to remain active in the region and its determination to stand its ground
Despite large-scale developments, changes since start of decade, some problems triggering start of uprisings in Arab countries still exist
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is going through a major structural transformation in the last decade. This transformation is closely related to the transformation of power balance in the global scene.
Significance in Libya for the Eastern Mediterranean conundrum
Another significant issue that is threatening the entire region is the escalating crisis in Libya.
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Turkish-Qatari partnership: A new stage in bilateral relations
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited Doha on Nov. 25 to attend the fifth meeting of the Turkey-Qatar High Strategic Committee. President Erdoğan, accompanied by a large delegation, met with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to discuss regional issues as well as bilateral relations. There are several important implications of this one-day visit.
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While different factions within the main opposition continue to blame one another for once again emerging intra-party crisis, experts say point to a power struggle as the main cause of the problem in the Republican People's Party (CHP)
The Arab League's approach to the Turkish counterterrorism operation east of the Euphrates is irrational and doesn't serve regional peace or stability
President Donald Trump's administration in Washington explicitly supported this ambitious alliance, which portrayed itself as the new powerhouse to reshape the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) and the Crown Prince of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, Muhammed bin Zayed (MBZ), were the leading figures and sponsors of this project.
The leader-to-leader diplomacy between the U.S. and Turkey at the G20 summit was crucial in defusing the S-400 dispute and turned it into a potential communication tool for bilateral ties
The United States is holding an international conference – in reality an economic workshop – in Bahrain on June 25-26 to launch the Middle East peace plan by encouraging investment and economic promises in the Palestinian territory.
Everybody knows that Sisi and the Egyptian army are merely the ostensible perpetrators in front of the curtain
The Saudi-UAE alliance's risky ventures, which designate Iran as an archrival and Turkey as an adversary, makes them vulnerable to demands from the U.S.-Israel axis and undermine their international credibility
Turkey has a very busy agenda ahead of itself for the month of June..
In a quest to assure stability in the region, Turkey has to find new, more active, regional partners and maintain its opposition against the unilateral policies of foreign players
The Middle East has been experiencing turmoil since the Arab Spring uprisings and revolutions. A process of counterrevolution started with the military coup in Egypt in 2013. Much of the regional mayhem stems from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi-led efforts to reverse the democratization process initiated with the Arab uprisings and discourage any popular demands.
The Warsaw Ministerial to Promote a Future of Peace and Security in the Middle East, held on Feb. 13-14, was hosted by the U.S. Department of State and the Polish Foreign Ministry.
Two meetings took place earlier this week in Warsaw and Sochi that were crucial for the future of the Middle East.
If the aggressive foreign policy of the Riyadh administration continues, Saudi Arabia will become more isolated than ever, as the cases of Qatar and Morocco clearly indicate
