In the dynamic landscape of global politics, Türkiye’s bid for membership in the BRICS group – which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – represents a strategic move poised to reshape its future. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan’s recent attendance at the BRICS meetings in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, underscores Türkiye’s efforts to refine its foreign policy. Although Türkiye has not yet formally applied for membership, Fidan expressed interest in joining BRICS during his recent visit to Beijing.

Türkiye’s foreign policy has been gaining momentum in recent months as a series of developments bolster each other, taking place in quick succession.

Speaking for the first time after Sunday's presidential election, Russian President Vladimir Putin responded to a question about the possibility of a violent conflict between Russia and the West by describing the current situation as above. Stressing that "everything is possible in the modern world," he argued that, "It will be one step away from a full-scale third world war, but hardly anyone is interested in this." Putin had warned before the election that his country was "technically ready for nuclear war."

I attended the Antalya Diplomacy Forum on Friday. Bringing together politicians, diplomats, academics, journalists and think tankers from 147 countries, the event has already claimed a respectable place among the world’s leading platforms.

Today’s world is facing rapidly changing security dynamics and increasing geopolitical competition. This competition, which has accelerated and morphed, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic, has also created a deep security crisis following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Israel’s attacks in Gaza.

The Biden administration announced sanctions against Russia involving five hundred new entities and individuals following the death of Russian opposition leader Navalny. The news of Navalny's death (or killing) in prison, coinciding with the second anniversary of the Ukraine war, came at a time when the American Congress failed to pass a $60 billion aid package for Ukraine. President Biden met with Navalny's wife and daughter and harshly criticized Russian President Putin for Navalny's death. Biden had previously threatened repercussions if anything happened to Navalny. While Biden's decision to refrain from seizing Russia's $300 billion in Western banks suggests he's not ready for a full-scale confrontation with Putin, his announcement of new sanctions indicates a path of accountability.

The current international system, which was already quite vulnerable, has totally collapsed after Israel's genocidal policies and the unconditional support of Western governments for the ongoing genocide committed by Israel. Despite the intensifying global rivalry, there was still some hope for the consolidation of the norms-based international system. At least, many states have declared their determination to take effective measures against the rising unconventional global threats such as climate change, environmental problems, irregular and illegal migration, food and water shortage, drought, failed states, cyber threats and violent nonstate actors.

The world was not in good shape on the second anniversary of the Russian-Ukrainian war. A quick look at the most recent developments alone would suffice to appreciate that we are entering a period of fragmentation and high risks.

Russia-Ukraine War | A Two-Year Review

The debate on Turkish foreign policy's "axis," "strategic autonomy" and "normalization" policy was recently revived by Parliament's approval of Sweden's NATO membership, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's Cairo trip and Türkiye joining the European Sky Shield Initiative.

In an opinion piece published in The Washington Post, a call was made for the United States to start discussing the truth about Israel's nuclear capacity. The piece, signed by expert names in the issue of nuclear weapon proliferation, notes that American government officials have been following a policy of denying Israel's nuclear weapons' existence due to a secret presidential order in effect for 60 years. Experts argue that this policy has become increasingly meaningless, especially as Israeli politicians are making nuclear weapon use threats in Gaza, and it impedes America's ability to effectively handle regional conflict scenarios. While this kind of call is not new, such debates indicate a changing perception of Israel within the American public and a questioning of America's Israel policy.

Donald Trump, who seeks reelection in the United States, made headlines with his most recent comments on NATO. It is a well-known fact that he had previously described NATO as “obsolete” and condemned NATO allies that did not meet the 2% defense spending target. This time around, the former U.S. president told a crowd in South Carolina that he would encourage Russia to do “whatever the hell they want” to any NATO country that does not meet its financial obligations. He made those remarks shortly after the Republicans blocked military aid to Ukraine and Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed the war on NATO’s fifth enlargement in an interview.

We hope that this edited volume will highlight some critical turning points and moments of failure by the international community in the wake of Russia’s annexation of Crimea. It should also inform any policy considerations regarding the status of Crimea as well as a potential future settlement of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. The conflict may be a protracted one but the prospects for peace, we hope, will emerge sooner rather than later.

On 10-12 June 2015, a convention of Balkan think tanks was organized by the SETA Foundation, with financial support of the Turkish Prime Ministry Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB). During the event, researchers from Balkan think tanks discussed various political issues faced by the region and Turkey. This report summarizes the remarks made during the workshop sessions.