MUSTAFA AYDIN

Public support for cross-border operations MUSTAFA AYDIN

Public support for cross-border operations

Turkey’s latest cross-border operation was launched on Syria’s Afrin on Jan. 20 to eliminate what Turkey perceives as terror threats from the region. It was broadly based on the right to self-defense as defined in article 51 of the U.N. Charter. As the operation progresses, it is being dissected by experts from various angles, and the Turkish public is bombarded with endless news and debates on the merits of the operation. Yet, there has been no attempt to gauge the public’s view of the operation, which should be of utmost consideration for policymakers. 

January 31 2018
‘Operation Olive Branch’ MUSTAFA AYDIN

‘Operation Olive Branch’

Turkey’s long-awaited operation to “eliminate all terrorist elements” in the Afrin district in Syria’s northwest, called “Operation Olive Branch,” started at around 5 p.m. on Jan. 20 with Turkish air forces striking targets across the region. This is Turkey’s fourth military operation in Syria since the start of a civil war there in 2011.

January 24 2018
Trump’s vulgarity towards immigrants MUSTAFA AYDIN

Trump’s vulgarity towards immigrants

The United States President Donald Trump created diplomatic havoc yet again, in a meeting with members of Congress on migration matters on Jan. 11, 2018. During the meeting, he reportedly referred to some African countries, alongside Haiti and El Salvador, as “shithole countries.” Besides the domestic debate whether his comments were president-like, his pronouncement is the latest indication of his disrespectful, insensitive and churlish attitude towards foreign countries and individuals he does not seek or expect a profit from.

January 17 2018
Defense and security cooperation in Europe MUSTAFA AYDIN

Defense and security cooperation in Europe

Ever since the abortive European Defence Community of 1952 and the underperformed Western European Union of 1955, based on the Brussels Treaty of 1948, European states have tried several times to come up with a joint security and defense structure.

January 10 2018
Deciphering the unrest in Iran MUSTAFA AYDIN

Deciphering the unrest in Iran

Iran’s influence in the Middle East has been strengthening since the 9/11 attacks, after which U.S. operations devastated and weakened Afghanistan and Iraq, two countries that had for decades kept Iran in check.

January 03 2018
Trump’s national security strategy MUSTAFA AYDIN

Trump’s national security strategy

Starting from his election campaign, United States President Donald Trump has been a controversial politician, drawing attention with his unprecedented statements, actions and tweets. While he is about to complete his first year in office amid constant talk of wrongdoing and possible impeachment, Trump has already demonstrated that he would not be an ordinary president

December 27 2017
Putin’s gambit in Syria MUSTAFA AYDIN

Putin’s gambit in Syria

Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in Sochi, Russia, on Nov. 22.

November 29 2017
Turkey’s Western connection MUSTAFA AYDIN

Turkey’s Western connection

Turkey’s relations with the West and its organizations have been turbulent and ambivalent ever since the Republic was established in 1923. Independence was won fighting against Western proxies, and Turkish leaders have never forgotten that Western countries previously tried to divide the country.

November 22 2017
Game of Thrones in the Middle East MUSTAFA AYDIN

Game of Thrones in the Middle East

We have recently been watching Saudi Arabia with the same level of interest we had during the 1973 oil shock and the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks in the U.S.

November 16 2017