The analyses over the US policy in Syria have started to concentrate on the US’ gains if the Syrian crisis drags out rather than on the risks Washington will face.

The Arab Gulf countries have caused the prolongation of the Baath regime’s life by not providing strong support to the Syrian opposition and by instigating segregations.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ visit was a quid pro quo for the active role Turkey played during the voting process.

The question of what kind of a Syria would be formed after the revolution is still a legitimate one for the US, and the US does not want to take action before finding a satisfactory answer in favor of its regional priorities.

Europe—which shaped the world during the colonial period and created a dominant discourse for military, economy and politics—is today fighting for its very survival.

The Arab uprisings in early 2011 provided the US and Turkey with an opportunity and a necessity to discover new forms of cooperation and policy coordination due to the urgency for action on the ground.

Russia’s future in the Middle East fares no better than the al-Assad regime in which Russia had been investing.

As so many outside powers have clashing geopolitical, security, and economic interests, what does the road ahead look like for Syria?

The only thing that will happen if the Assad regime in Syria is not overthrown is the continued political junk bond problem whose existence is extended slightly while its default risk is increased.

The new paradigm in relations seems to be working so far in critical issue areas, including Syria and NATO’s missile shield.

Relations with the region have been multi-faceted, encompassing diplomatic, economic and civil society dimensions since 2002.

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.

Turkey’s new seat in the UNSC marks a historic achievement for Turkish foreign policy since 1961. Turkish diplomatic corps around the world and political leaders have lobbied towards this end since 2003.

The meeting between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and President George W. Bush at the White House last Monday was expected to be a turning point for Turkey’s war on Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) terrorism as well as for US-Turkish relations; at least some on the Turkish side thought so. While Prime Minister Erdoğan said he was happy with the outcome of the meeting, it is simplistic to interpret this as a watershed event in US-Turkish relations.  

Less than one week ahead of the US presidential election, Turkish-US relations and Turkey's role in its neighboring regions were the subject of a one-day conference organized by the SETA Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research and the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.

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