Last year brought surprises from the very beginning, and this year promises to be no different. Since the very beginning of 2019, one of the most discussed events was the storming of the American Embassy in Baghdad on January 31. Although it is only the third day of 2020, tragedy has already struck the Iranian people: American air strikes in ...
The signing of a memorandum between Erdoğan and Sarraj regarding maritime boundaries was one of the most crucially important events for Turkey in 2019. The memorandum was important as a geopolitical counterbalance to the Greece-Israel-Egypt block which opposes Turkey in the region. The memorandum sets new contours of Turkish control in the Eastern Mediterranean. Our analysis of the geopolitics of ...
The past year saw Turkey’s turn toward an anti-Western foreign policy, while in domestic politics President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was forced to share his power as new types of coalitions blossomed. To summarize the political reflections of 2019 in Turkey, both foreign and domestic: Turkey is moving away from atlanticist power Following the US-backed coup attempt on July 15th 2016, ...
Europe: a populist surge In 2019, the rise of populism in Europe continued apace. France’s Yellow Vest protesters returned to the streets throughout the year, turning from a fight against increased gasoline prices to a mass movement against the neoliberal policies of President Emmanuel Macron. The protests also inspired people abroad, expanding into other countries’ throughout Europe (Germany, Belgium, the ...
The death of Salah in Algeria In Algeria, Ahmed Gaid Salah, the 80-year-old head of the Algerian armed forces and a veteran of the Algerian war of independence, died of a heart attack. Formerly a supporter of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, he opposed his nomination for a fifth term during major protests. After Bouteflika resigned in April, Salah de facto served ...
Discovering new sources of energy always creates the opportunity to increase regional cooperation and increase stability and security in a given region. However, at the same time, these resources can also increase tensions. In recent years, maritime resources have been the focus of both coastal states and trans-regional powers. Numerous meetings have been held with the leaders of the countries ...
In the months following the attacks on oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, energy supply routes and transit security issues have attracted the attention of the major energy-consuming countries and most global powers. Any insecurity along this critical energy transit route is bound to have a direct impact on the energy security of major energy-consuming countries. On the other hand, ...
The Kurds have been playing a vital role in the geopolitical situation in the Middle East. However, nationalization and the establishment of a new state remains an unrealized goal for many Kurds who have been engaged in the fight for these things for years. Having played an effective role in the fight against ISIS, the Kurds have begun a renewed ...
Algerian military commander Gaid Salah died of a heart attack on December 23, after a record 15 years as Chief of Defence Staff and almost a year as the unofficial leader of the country in the wake of the resignation of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. He has been replaced by the new head of the army, Said Chengriha. Experts estimate that ...
Afghanistan Ghani Afghanistan’s incumbent President Ashraf Ghani is leading the race to retake the country’s leadership according to preliminary election results, according to the Afghan National Election Commission. According to an election commission spokesman during a press conference broadcast on the commission’s Facebook, Ghani won with 50.64% of the vote, according to preliminary results. In Second place with 39.52% of ...