Making significant progress in the fight against Daesh, Ankara must now watch out for the terrorist group's next-generation attacks such as vehicles plowing through crowds and using sleeper cells

With some minor changes in its policies on Gülen and the PYD, Washington can easily fix its ties with Ankara

Trump's visit to five countries in Asia is a good opportunity for the U.S. to restore diplomatic ties with regional countries

At the heart of the AK Party leadership’s courage lies their ability to actively and rapidly respond to political circumstances and trends. To be clear, this isn’t just about pragmatism necessitated by facts and needs.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is considering either incorporating the KRG peshmerga into the Iraqi military or keeping it as a minor local force. It is very obvious to what extent this recession troubles the KRG, which has tried to realize self-governance since 1991. It is safe to say that the situation has traumatized the collective memory of Kurdish nationalists.

In particular, the successive U.S. administrations made it clear that their quest to promote "moderate Islam" was ingenuine at four points:

Despite the push to present Meral Akşener, the chairwoman of the newly established İYİ Party, as an alternative candidate against President Erdoğan in the run up to the 2019 presidential elections, Professor Duran thinks this will not translate into results, as a true candidate for the opposition parties is yet to be identified

Washington's inability to pursue a coherent policy in the Middle East, particularly in Syria, makes its allies feel deeply concerned about their relationship with the U.S.

The reappearance of discourse on ‘moderate Islam', possibly with on the U.S. administration's request, cannot be a solution in the fight against extremism

Expecting Turkey's engagement with the U.S.'s Middle East policy, which damaged Ankara's interests, particularly by the infamous partnership with the YPG, would be in vain and very irrational

The U.S. identified a new priority: The containment of Iran. Having secured the support of Israel and several Gulf countries, the U.S. president recently unveiled a new, strongly-worded Iran strategy. And he refused to certify the Iran nuclear deal to compel Congress to take action.

The KRG referendum established that regional powers could work together when it comes to preserving the territorial integrity of others.

The YPG's position in the aftermath of the retake of Raqqa means the threat for the security of region's people is not over yet

The neo-medieval order in the Middle East creates brand new challenges for policy makers as national, sub-national and trans-national actors are involved in some of the most sophisticated conflicts simultaneously.

Washington has no way to come to a mutual understanding with Ankara without changing its current policies that pose a threat to Turkey's national security.

The current crisis with the West is structural and genuine. But the talk about Turkey turning its back on the West is used for operational purposes.

Trump's new strategy on Iran and the nuclear deal is likely to also have a huge impact on U.S. allies in the region