How is the Turkey-Gulf normalization going?

Turkey has been enjoying good relations with three Gulf states – Qatar, Oman and Kuwait – for decades. However, Turkey’s relations with the other three members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) – the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Saudi Arabia – worsened due to their conflicting perspectives toward the Arab insurgencies.

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How is the Turkey-Gulf normalization going
The populist coup in Tunisia

The populist coup in Tunisia

Tunisia's young and fragile democracy was shaken by this populist coup. What happens next boils down to defending oneself and democracy through peaceful means

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Tunisian President Kais Saied's dismissal of the country's prime minister was interpreted as a coup. The only way this process will not progress is if Saied gives constitutional power to the parliament

The dissolution that started with the exclusion of Qatar from the GCC now continues with the division between the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The crisis is thought to be causing extensive recalibration and reorganization in the region

Yemeni civilians suffer the most from the conflicts of interest between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The crisis, both political and military in nature, has affected the entire Middle East region for years

The rapprochement being attempted by Saudi Arabia and Iran is the latest example of repositioning in the Middle East. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) told his country’s public broadcaster last week that he wanted 'a good and distinguished relationship' with Iran.

Can Turkey and Egypt fully normalize relations?

Turkey and Egypt, which have been experiencing a tense relationship since the military coup against the democratically elected government of Mohammed Morsi in July 2013, have initiated a new diplomatic dialogue in response to changing regional and global dynamics.

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Can Turkey and Egypt fully normalize relations
Ankara-Cairo relations in the changing Middle East

Ankara-Cairo relations in the changing Middle East

It is time for everyone in the Middle East to make a new strategic assessment. Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu announced last Friday that Turkey had made 'diplomatic contact' with Egypt.

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The Middle East is experiencing an extraordinary amount of activity on the 10th anniversary of the Arab revolts. A series of developments and debates are intertwined: in the Eastern Mediterranean, Turkey and Egypt are watching each other’s movements, as Tel Aviv sends warm messages to Ankara.

U.S. President Joe Biden has declared that he will follow a different policy toward the countries in the Middle East. Former U.S. President Donald Trump established "the alliance of the globe” consisting of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt. Israel was a de facto member and external supporter of this alliance.

The new U.S. administration has declared that it intends to follow a “de-Trumpization policy” in the Middle East.

Yemen is one of the poorest countries of the Arab world and has been suffering for decades. Ali Abdallah Saleh's pre-Arab Spring administration was corrupt, leading the Yemeni people to take to the streets, eventually toppling the Saleh government in 2012 when the waves of the Arabic revolutions reached the country.

Turkey's Middle East Engagements in 2021

Before the European Council's leaders' summit two months ago, experts and journalists in Turkey discussed the European Union's possible sanctions. The frozen EU agenda came into the Turkish public's focus with the sanctions threat. Both sides knew that sanctions were illogical and would not contribute to bilateral relations.

The blockade and isolation of Qatar, led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), began in June 2017 and ended with a declaration at the 41st Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit on Jan. 4 in Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ula province.

The Qatar blockade, also known as the Gulf crisis, broke out in 2017 due to the aggressive attitude of the "alliance of the globe" toward the country. The alliance was established by U.S. President Donald Trump during his first official visit to Saudi Arabia.

For most people, the year 2020 will be remembered with negative developments, some of which have influenced many states and people throughout the world.

The COVID-19 pandemic dominated the year 2020, as the world encountered a great test on health care, economy and humanity. Several countries confiscated each other’s personal protective equipment (PPE) and went down in the history of shame. Against the backdrop of all the chatter about “the new normal” and “nothing will be the same again,” the truth is that power competition in the international system has escalated even further.

The wave of democratization, which began with the Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia, took down the authoritarian leaders of Egypt, Libya and Yemen. Whereas the uprising in Bahrain was crushed thanks to Saudi Arabia’s military intervention, Iran and Russia ensured the survival of Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria.

The latest escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh reignited anti-Turkey rhetoric in the international arena. Turkey, under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's leadership, threw its weight behind Azerbaijan to help the country reclaim its Armenian-occupied territories.

In the wake of the Arab insurgencies and revolutions, the Arab world lost touch with its role as the main carriers of Arab nationalism. In reality, the process of the dissolution of the Arab world started on 9/11 when some citizens of Saudi Arabia executed the most devastating terrorist attacks in the history of the United States. Shortly after Sept. 11, the U.S. invaded Iraq, claiming that the Saddam Hussein regime was about to produce nuclear weapons.