US, Russia starts third day of Syria talks
7 Things Putin Loves That America Really Is Exceptional At
Is the United States of America the greatest country on earth?
By Samson A. Bezabeh,
The World War II war time correspondent Emie Pyle once said that “there is no atheist in the fox hole”. What he meant does not only indicate the brutality of war but the honesty that can come out in war. In pronouncing these words, Pyle was pronouncing the truth about mankind, a deceptive being with layers of ideas. The whole thinking behind Pyle’s statement is that man need to be cornered to shade the various facades that he has adopted. As a Christian, the core for Pyle was the presences of God.
Border strife fuels Turkey anger on Syria
Syria isn’t Kosovo and this isn’t 1999. Not even close
Grasping at vague notions of Kosovo as a ‘good war’ may be expedient – any precedent will do in a pinch. But this comparison is inaccurate and dangerously misleading.
“The Balkans have long been the last surviving shred of happy-hunting ground for the adventurous,” a place for “the old-time happy-go-lucky wars”. Saki (H.H. Munro), The Cupboard of the Yesterdays
Western leaders and their advisors have alighted on NATO’s 1999 attack on Yugoslavia as a precedent for military action against the regime of Bashar al-Assad. Among many others, Enver Hoxhaj, Kosovo’s Foreign Minister, argues that the NATO campaign is a model for handling Syria in an article in Foreign Policy titled “It’s 1999 in
Davutoğlu condemns executions by Syrian rebels, but warns of ‘propaganda tactics’
How Turkey went from ‘zero problems’ to zero friends
The Washington Post (USA) Thursday, August 22, 2013 By Piotr Zalewski, Istanbul Not so long ago, Turkey seemed to have found the elusive formula for foreign policy success. Its newly adopted philosophy, “zero problems with neighbors,” won praise both at home and abroad as Ankara reengaged with the Middle East following a half century of
Turkey must refocus on EU, top boss says
Courrier international, no. 1193, jeudi 12 septembre 2013, p. 18 Türkçe Hasan Cemal, T24 (Istanbul) Lorsque l’AKP est arrivé au pouvoir , la situation était différente. En effet, au début des années 2000, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Abdullah Gül et
Smugglers carrying blue jerry cans on horses ride back to Syria along the wire fences after ferrying fuel smuggled into Turkey from over the border in Syria, 2 km (1.2 miles) away from the Turkish Cilvegozu border gate, located opposite the Syrian commercial crossing point Bab al-Hawa in Reyhanli, Hatay province, September 8, 2013. Each night, fuel is smuggled into Turkey from over the border in Syria. The thousands of liters of diesel that make their way by cover of darkness to Turkey’s southern Hatay province are a financial lifeline for Syria’s rebels, as well as a source of income for Turkish middlemen. Much of the oil is sourced from Syria’s eastern Deir al-Zor province, a region critical to the country’s overall output, which largely fell under the control of a network of tribes and smugglers earlier this year. Fuel is heavily taxed in Turkey, meaning the black market for illegal imports from Syria, however crudely refined in makeshift facilities, is thriving and sends cash ..
R2P – hindrance not a help in the Syrian crisis
The Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine has failed to build an international consensus for action to protect civilians in Syria. Worse, R2P’s implicit support for military action without UN authorization has contributed to the UN’s paralysis.
50 years of EU-Turkey relations: talk the talk and walk the walk
Uluslararası Politika Akademisi (UPA) 12 September 2013 Laura Batalla 12th September 2013 marks the 50th anniversary of the Ankara Agreement, signed in 1963 in Ankara, hence its name. The agreement established an association between Turkey and the then European Economic Community (EEC) signaling the start of a long-standing close relationship. The Ankara Agreement provided the
Istanbul’s bid to host the 2020 Summer Olympics was based on the city’s symbolism, and that wasn’t strong enough
Turkey – The New Ottomans (Part Three)
BBC (UK) Tuesday, 10 September 2013 Allan Little What is Turkey’s relationship with Europe, in particular with the Balkans, which were on the Western limits of the old Ottoman Empire? Turkish businessmen have been rapidly rebuilding their links with the Balkan states – and some saw this as a first step towards rebuilding of bridges
After the Boom: Risks to the Turkish Economy
Briefing Paper (Chatham House) Europe BP 2013/02, August 2013 Fadi Hakura * After a strong post-crisis recovery, Turkish growth slowed sharply to 2.2 per cent in 2012. The success of Prime Minister Erdoğan’s government has been rooted in economic prosperity, which will remain a central issue for his popularity. Turkey’s economy has been boosted by
La Turquie espérait rebondir grâce aux Jeux
Le Monde (France) mardi 10 septembre 2013, p. SCQ4 Économie et Entreprise Claire Guélaud La Turquie ne bénéficiera pas de l’élan qu’aurait pu lui donner l’organisation des Jeux olympiques d’été de 2020 à Istanbul. Le Comité international olympique (CIO) a préféré, samedi 7 septembre, à cette candidature – la cinquième pour la Turquie -, celle
Iraq vows to reinstate relations with Turkey
Turkey and Iraq have reached an agreement to reinstate bilateral ties, Iraqi Parliament Speaker Osama al-Nujaifi said
Erkan's Field Diary 