The Mecca Pact and Beijing’s Multipolarity Trap: Why China Should Worry About a Deal It Appears to Welcome
For Beijing, the new Muslim alliance may be a case of “be careful what you wish for”.
Tag: Turkey
From Cold War to Regional Reconciliation: The New Pragmatism in the Middle East
The new pragmatism in the Middle East is leading to a regional reconciliation process that, though some critics doubt it, is showing signs that it can sustain itself in the near future.
The Changing Middle East Regional Order
A history of the Arab state system starting from the second half of the twentieth century to the present
Erdogan’s Endgame with Egypt
Rapprochement with Egypt is a necessary first step for Turkey to break out of its self-induced isolation, but it will require concessions that Erdogan may not be willing to make.
State, Media, and Political Messaging in Contemporary Turkey
The AKP’s political messaging tactics have undergone significant change over time, but remain an important strategic tool for the party.
The Rise of the United Arab Emirates
By harnessing national confidence, proactively dealing with regional security concerns and exercising geopolitical cooperation, the UAE is positioning itself as a regional powerhouse.
Why the Phrase “Arab Spring” Should be Retired
It’s time to stop using a Western-based concept ten years on from the events that began the Arab Uprisings.
Political Narratives in the Middle East and North Africa: Conceptions of Order and Perceptions of Instability
The volume edited by Wolfgang Mühlberger and Toni Alaranta highlights the importance of political narratives in making sense of the complexities of the MENA countries.
The Disrupting Stabilizer
How Russia’s military, diplomatic, and economic roles in the Mediterranean have developed in recent years
Syria’s Prospects for Reconstruction Are Bleak
Hindered by an array of domestic and international obstacles and competing regime priorities, the Syrian government’s efforts to attract regional capital for investment and reconstruction will be insufficient.
Turkey’s Energy Geopolitics
Turkey is at one end of competing geostrategic visions in the Eastern Mediterranean, but are there avenues for reconciliation with countries at the opposite pole?
Re-Engineering Regional Security
In the last half-century, Egypt has had to negotiate its way through the Arab–Israeli peace process, regional nuclear proliferation, and domestic political transition. What has it taught us?
Erdoğan Fails the Coronavirus Test
The president’s concentration of executive power has left Turkey vulnerable to decisions based more on saving the economy—and thus his own skin—than on stopping the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Empire He Did Not Want
Erdoğan wanted to build a “neo-Ottoman” empire but missed out on what is strategically most important—real influence in the Middle East
Anatomy of the Turkish Incursion
What lies ahead for the Arabs, Kurds, and Turks after Ankara’s assault on northern Syria?
A Regional Order Contested
Extreme instability has prompted a fundamental reconfiguration of the contemporary Middle East; as the old order crumbles, a new one has yet to emerge
Erdoğan’s Failure on the Nile
How Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan went from being a regional Islamist leader in the Arab Spring to being the Middle East’s odd man out
Kurdistan: A State or a State of Mind?
Can the Kurds, the largest ethnicity in the Middle East without their own nation, overcome their internal disunity and find ways to exist as an independent state or as autonomous regions?
Syria and Regional Food Security
Syria and its neighbors all have a vested interest in resuming agricultural trade to increase food security across the region.
Preserving Kurdish Autonomy
Divisions among the states vested in Syria are opening possibilities for Syria’s Kurds to secure greater protection for their autonomy.
Turkey’s Gradual Efforts to Professionalize Syrian Allies
Instead of putting its full strength behind unifying Syrian rebel groups, Ankara is slowly supporting that process without disturbing the status quo.
Russia, Turkey, and the Fate of Idlib
In Idlib, Turkey could deter Russian airstrikes and ensure the region remains out of the Syrian regime’s control by going after extremist groups.
Erdoğan’s Achilles Heel
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s policy toward Syrian refugees could become his downfall as anti-refugee sentiment in Turkey grows, especially if the economy weakens.
The Turkish Predicament in Syria
The geopolitical ripples around Operation Olive Branch raise questions about Ankara’s ability to achieve its goal of preventing the establishment of an autonomous Kurdish entity in northwestern Syria.
Arabs Rising to the Occasion?
Former secretary general of the League of Arab States, Amre Moussa, offers eight recommendations for establishing a new regional order that would see Arab countries end instability and regain control of their futures.
Turkey’s Risky Adventure in Afrin
Turkey’s military incursion into Kurdish-controlled northern Syria risks straining diplomatic ties and exposing Turkey to increased terror threats.
Turkey’s Authoritarian Legacy
It’s tempting to blame the country’s recent slide into repression on President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s thirst for personal power. But did the ruling Islamist party ever really abandon the country’s long tradition of state authoritarianism?
Kurds as Peacemakers in the Middle East
Supporting Kurdish groups in Syria could empower them to play a role in resolving regional conflicts, not just in Syria but also in Iraq and Turkey.
Strategic Thinking
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu impresses the world with his grasp of geopolitical theory and zest for putting it into practice. During an in-depth exchange with the Cairo Review, he discusses the direction of the Arab revolts, Turkey’s future in Europe, the “golden age” of U.S.-Turkish relations, and much more.