Latest Articles about Foreign Policy
Azerbaijan’s President Synchronizes Watches with Turkey
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev visited Turkey on November 5 and 6 as his first official trip abroad since reelection, underscoring the two countries’ special relationship. While traditional, that relationship has evolved substantially during Ilham Aliyev’s presidency and is no longer asymmetrical. As he remarked during... MORE
Obama Presidency: a New Era in Turkish-American Relations?
Many Turks joined the worldwide rejoicing over the Democrats’ victory and Barack Obama’s election as the next president of the United States. The Turkish public is sympathetic to Obama’s call for change as they find parallels in his story to Turkey’s experience with the reformist... MORE
Kadyrov and Qaddafi Profess Mutual Admiration
Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi, who made an official visit to Moscow this past weekend, met in the Russian capital with Ramzan Kadyrov and accepted an invitation from the Chechen president to visit Chechnya in 2010, RIA Novosti reported. “President Ramzan Kadyrov invited the Libyan leader... MORE
European Commission 2008 Progress Report on Turkey Details AKP Shortcomings
On November 5 the European Commission released its 2008 progress report about Turkey. The report examines political and economic criteria as well as Turkey’s ability to assume the obligations of membership in terms of state and social structure, that is, intellectual property rights, free movement... MORE
Medvedev Tests the New U.S. President on the Morning After his Election
The forecast by U.S. Vice President-elect Joseph Biden that Russia would challenge a President Barack Obama soon after he would be elected has come true even sooner than could be expected. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev attacked the United States, its policies, and some of its... MORE
China’s African Inroads Shaken by Regional Political Uncertainties
Chinese state-owned enterprises and private companies doing business in Africa are increasingly finding their lucrative and unbridled trade and contracts mired in the pervasive domestic power struggles shaping African politics. Chinese businesses' risk aversion to political uncertainties and their ability to remain above the fray... MORE
AKP Unable To Decide on Its Kurdish Policy
On November 2 Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited the eastern province of Hakkari to deliver a speech at a congress of his Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) local branch. In Hakkari, where the Democratic Society Party (DTP) has a strong municipal presence, DTP... MORE
Moscow Summit on Karabakh Falls Short of Kremlin’s Goals
Presidents Dmitry Medvedev of Russia, Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, and Serge Sarkisian of Armenia met on November 2 near Moscow to discuss the current state of negotiations on the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. With those negotiations moving slowly forward at several levels and on their own momentum,... MORE
EU Extends an Olive Branch to Belarusian Leaders
On October 13 the foreign ministers of the 27 member-states of the European Union met in Luxemburg and agreed to lift sanctions on travel for 36 high-ranking members of the Belarusian government, including President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, for a trial period of six months. The decision... MORE

The Geopolitics of Sino-Syrian Relations
Solidifying the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) burgeoning relationships with the countries of the Middle East remains a top priority for Beijing. The impetus behind China’s resurgent efforts to extend its influence within the Middle East stemmed from Beijing’s pursuit of energy resources to sustain... MORE