By Mehmet Enes Beşer New Zealand is no stranger to its aspirations for further engagement with Southeast Asia. Well-spoken speeches in Wellington, memoranda of foreign policy in ASEAN capitals, and more and more frequently, New Zealand finds itself ready to be a reliable Indo-Pacific partner with a steady interest in the future of Southeast Asia. Government policy at present: it ...
By Yıldıran Acar, Political Scientist The vote held in the Lithuanian Parliament on September 22, 2026, was a notable example of the changes taking place in the European security environment. The Lithuanian Parliament backed a proposal to remove the constitutional provision prohibiting the deployment of nuclear weapons and foreign military bases on Lithuanian territory. The measure received 99 votes in ...
By Yiğit Saner The conflict between Yemen’s Ansarullah Movement (Houthis) and the Saudi-led Coalition remains high on the international agenda. Developments unfolding in parallel with the Iran War began this summer when Saudi Arabia struck Sana’a Airport. The rapidly escalating tensions peaked when Ansarullah imposed a blockade on Riyadh in the Red Sea. Reciprocal attacks on strategic facilities, along with ...
By Mehmet Enes Beşer The supremacy of Apple in the international market is sustained by a paradox it cannot sustain any longer. On one hand, its branding and positioning are centered on seductive design, excellent user experience, and Silicon Valley innovation principles. Underneath, however, lurks a maze of supply chains, their core located in China’s manufacturing regions. The “Designed in ...
The 81st session of the UN General Assembly convened in New York on September 22. The debates and the speeches delivered by world leaders were marked by a common theme: the United Nations is not functioning properly, has become increasingly ineffective, and is in need of reform. These assessments now appear to have become something close to a consensus. Leaders ...
By Şenol Aktemir Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu made harsh criticisms against Türkiye from the podium of the UN General Assembly. Ankara was accused of preparing for an armed conflict and waging an information war against Israel. Nevertheless, it is Israel who is escalating its attacks and preparing for war. Türkiye is on the verge of war with a very dangerous ...
By Mehmet Enes Beşer Urban pollution is one of the persistent challenges that Jakarta faces. Being the largest Southeast Asian city and capital of Indonesia, Jakarta holds top positions in rankings of the world’s most polluted cities. The variety of sources of pollution is diverse, ranging from factory fumes to air stagnation and poor waste disposal, all of which impose ...
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan addressed the UN General Assembly on September 22. His speech contained a number of key messages, but two stood out in particular: the genocide in Gaza and the UN’s failure to act against it. Erdoğan devoted a large part of his speech to Gaza, which he described as “the most inhumane and most shameful concentration camp ...
Türkiye had another quite busy agenda last week. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan signaled that Türkiye could become involved in the ongoing war in Yemen under the framework of the Mecca Agreement. Another topic on the agenda was a FETÖ investigation on the producers and screenwriters of the popular television series Valley of the Wolves (Kurtlar Vadisi). Another investigation into alleged ...
By Mehmet Enes Beşer Vietnam’s quickly growing trade surplus with the US has found itself in the middle of a controversy surrounding global supply chains and circumventions of tariff evasion. With the specter of another Trump White House hanging over its head, however, the question is one of whether or not public opinion that China is diverting exports through Vietnam ...