Türkiye’s agenda last week was mostly shaped by international developments. Following the Russia–US talks and discussions on security guarantees for Ukraine, Turkish officials made a series of statements. Ankara signaled a military operation after PKK-affiliated PYD/YPG/SDG terrorist groups in northern Syria refused to take part in the disarmament process. The other important development of the week was the widespread strike ...

Following Syrian Foreign Minister Esad Shaybani’s visit to Moscow on July 31–August 1, speculation has grown that Russian military patrols may soon return to Syria’s southern regions. Russia’s influential daily Kommersant ran the headline “Syria Misses Russian Soldiers,” reporting that Damascus has asked Moscow to redeploy troops to help guard its borders. According to the paper, the Syrian government requested ...

The Turkish public opinion debates the so-called “Corridor of David” regarding the grand strategy that Israel is pursuing in Syria – and beyond. We asked Dr. Fahri Erenel, retired general of the Turkish Armed Forces about its content and geopolitical dimensions. The Corridor of David, it is said that Israel wants to establish such a Corridor of David. What is ...

By Onur Sinan Güzaltan The US is planning to establish a new order in West Asia by mending ties between Türkiye and Israel through Syria. From Washington’s perspective, Türkiye is a partner it cannot afford to lose entirely in the region. And Israel is the US’s outpost in West Asia. So, easing tensions between Ankara and Tel Aviv is of ...

By Islam Farag, from Cairo / Egypt The outbreak of the Syrian revolution in 2011 was a major cause of tension in relations between the Gulf states and Syria, which was then under the rule of President Bashar al-Assad. The Gulf states, led by Saudi Arabia, saw in the revolution a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to overthrow the Syrian regime, which was ...

Ending 40 years of terror versus destroying the foundations of the republic – the opposing arguments in Türkiye’s current debate could not be further away. At their core is a process that became public in October 2024, when the leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), Devlet Bahçeli proposed a ‘right to hope’ for Abdullah Öcalan, founder and leader of ...

By Adem Kılıç Political Scientist / Writer The series of events that began on 7 October 2023 has reactivated not only military but also political and ideological fault lines in the Middle East. In such an environment, the statement by Tom Barrack, who served as the former U.S. Ambassador to Ankara and also as U.S. President Donald Trump’s Special Representative ...

By Onur Sinan Güzaltan The tension in Syria is once again in full swing. While the Drews and Bedouin tribes seem to be on the verge of a major conflict in Suwayda, the Syrian government announced that it is deploying the army to the region. Meanwhile, Israeli aggression is once again taken the stage, this time in Syria, with bombardments ...

By Mohammad Sabreen, from Cairo / Egypt Exciting reports have revealed, in recent days, a new Middle Eastern deal based on Syria relinquishing the Golan Heights to Israel, in exchange for compensation from the Lebanese city of Tripoli. This comes amid persistent reports of the partition of Syria and other Arab countries. Some argue that the restructuring of Syria under ...

On 26–27 May 2025, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan paid a productive visit to Moscow. On the first day of his stay, Minister Fidan was warmly received by President Vladimir Putin. He also held meetings with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s top negotiator in the Istanbul talks Vladimir Medinsky, Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service Sergey Naryshkin, and members ...