Turkey

Ankara’s Opportunity to Make South Caucasus Peace

By Borut Grgic

Peace and stability in the South Caucasus has been an elusive project, but this weekend a major breakthrough was achieved with Turkey and Armenia.  The foreign ministers of the two countries met in Switzerland, and in the presence of the U.S. Secretary of State and other European foreign ministers, signed an agreement to open the […]

Turkey Should Pursue Green, Not Nuclear Energy

By Borut Grgic

Turkey is set to go nuclear. The Erdoğan government has put all the pieces in place for the beginning of the construction of Turkey’s first nuclear power plant. There is nothing wrong with Turkey’s civil nuclear ambition, except there is no need for it.

Turkey, Kurdistan, and Armenia

By David Phillips

Atlantic Council senior fellow David Phillips was interviewed by the Turkish newspaper Today’s Zaman on recent developments in Turkish-Kurdish relations and in Turkey-Armenia relations.

Turkey is “World’s Largest Energy Hub”

By Alexandros Petersen

According to Turkey’s popular “Zaman” newspaper, the country can now claim the title of “world’s largest energy hub.” While over a decade of government policy has sought to transform Turkey’s energy sector into first a European, then a regional, and now a global energy hub, a rash of recent international agreements, according to “Zaman,” have […]

Turkey and Iraqi Kurdistan are Strategic Partners

By David Phillips

Turkey’s military strikes against the PKK in northern Iraq were a tactical and political success.  Applying military pressure catalyzed Ankara’s decision to offer Iraqi Kurdistan political and economic rewards in exchange for cooperation against the PKK, a U.S.-listed terrorist organization that Turkey holds responsible for 30,000 deaths since 1984. As a result, Turkey and Iraqi […]

Misreading Turkey’s Strategic Goals

By James Joyner

A recurring theme of mine on this blog has been Turkey’s strange behavior for a country that purports to aspire to a full membership in the Western community of nations. Ankarra has frequently been a thorn in the side of its NATO allies and is simultaneously demanding entry into the EU and unwilling to modify […]

Confidence Building between Turks and Iraqi Kurds

The Obama administration’s “responsible redeployment” from Iraq is made even more urgent by the requirements resulting from worsening conditions in Afghanistan and Pakistan. For redeployment to occur on scale and on schedule, the United States seeks an end-state in Iraq that is stable and at peace with its neighbors. Simmering sectarian violence is inevitable, but […]

Turkey-Armenia Reconciliation: The Right Side of History

By David Phillips

The recent announcement normalizing Turkish-Armenian relations is a potentially historic breakthrough. However, the lack of progress in implementing the “framework agreement” raises questions about Turkey’s intentions and resolve. Turkey’s prime minister, Tayyip Erdogan, is buckling to domestic opposition and objections from Azerbaijan. Moreover, the announcement of the normalization “road map” on the eve of Armenian […]

May Day Riots in Germany, Turkey, and Greece

By James Joyner

David Smith recently argued that the peaceful demonstrations we’re seeing in Georgia and the United States are a healthy part of democracy. Today’s May Day violence in Turkey, Germany, and Greece show the flip side of the coin.

Mixed Signals in New Turkey-Armenia Framework

By Valerie Nichols

The almost century-old dispute between Turkey and Armenia over the mass killings of Armenians in 1915 has reached a symbolic breakthrough.  A “framework” for normalizing bilateral relations was agreed upon under Swiss mediation, but exactly how it will work to resolve tensions remains unclear.