In the 18th century, during the Crimean War, the Tsar was the first head of State to recognise the double political and spiritual nature of the role of the Caliphe. Constantinople had lost the military confrontation, but its Sultan had maintained an influence over the souls of the Tatar people. The sultans had auto-proclaimed themselves…
Until literally a couple of years ago, courtesy of its enviable position in Asia Minor positioned in direct proximity of USSR (during the Cold War), Iran (after the Islamic Revolution), Iraq, and of course Syria in most recent years, Turkey enjoyed remarkably positive press as “NATO’s Number 2 Army” and in general a stalwart and…
Troops of both countries illegally occupy northern Syrian territory bordering Turkey, including its oil rich area. On the phony pretext of protecting Turkey’s security, President Erdogan is intermittently battling Kurdish YPG fighters cross-border in Syria — despite their posing no threat to Ankara. His real aim is wanting the territory annexed. The same goes for…
Turkey is changing, and the projections of George Friedman, founder of Stratfor, are shown to be wrong. If the ex-Ottoman empire is to develop, it will not be as a vassal of the United States. Rather than judging Turkey from the point of view of Western standards, and mocking its « new sultan », we…
Saudi Arabia has begun implementing a “strategic plan” to confront the Turkish government, after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman decided he was being “too patient” with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the wake of journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder. The plan is detailed in a confidential report based on open- and closed-source intelligence prepared by the…
Middle Eastern media outlets have been actively reporting on the delivery of Russia’s S-400 Triumph missile systems purchased by Turkey. The authors of these articles have tried to assess the significance of this deal for Turkey, the reaction of Ankara’s NATO allies and the possible consequences in terms of the regional and global balance of…
