The book War in the Gardens of Babylon. Middle East after the Iraqi War published in 2004 by TASAM – Turkish Asian Center for Strategic Studies – edited by Bülent ARAS, is a collection of different perspectives on a number of serious Middle Eastern problems. Bülent Aras compiled articles of outstanding authors explaining the aftermath of September 11 terror attacks and Iraqi War.
The World is changing, under the pressing resurgence of strategic hypercompetition and growing geopolitical crisis. New threats are constantly emerging and old ones are resolutely coming back from the past, driven by new technological integration. The current conflict in Ukraine reminds us of how hybrid strategies do not exclude high intensity conflicts from their spectrum but include them as an extreme and integrated element of an irregular and blurred continuum of competition.
Although after the war ends, Ukraine will most certainly keep its status of an independent state, the final quality of its statehood and nationhood is undefined. Russia’s ongoing destruction of Ukraine has already changed its demographic, economic and social structure with the most severe long-term consequences. After the war, Ukraine will still exist, but it will be a different Ukraine with all consequences for its immediate and broader international environment.
The physical elimination of Evgeni Prigozhin and the commandment of the Wagner Group opens the question of the further use of mercenaries, not only in Ukraine but in wider regional context. Designed as a non-conventional solution of ‘delicate’ tasks abroad, Wagner and its leader turned into a ‘delicate’ question of Russian internal politics.
After the military coup, Niger's future hangs in uncertainty driven by terrorism, necessitating the presence of Western allies in the Sahel region.
As the West uses the issue of representation of Africa in international organizations as a tool to strengthen their relations with states in the continent, the sparks of global challenges spread to the U.N., G-20 and BRICS.
'Russia Is Not Angry; It's focusing.' This is a Russian aphorism put forward by Alexander Gorchakov, the Foreign Minister of the Russian empire, in 1856, after Russia lowered its international profile following its defeat in the Crimean War. Indeed, Russia is a country that has had its ups and downs but has the ability to renew itself by 'focusing' every time.
Putin’s visit to Egypt at a time when Russia has a growing rift with the US and the Western Europe over Ukraine may carry some significant messages.
The Armenian Question and Suggestions in its 100th Anniversary
The developments occurred in the recent decade at the global level in comparison with previous periods have left an impression, worth of century, behind. While the change and transformation have been happening, developments in the next decade will be determinant for 21st century. So, what we will do in the next decade will define where we will be in the rest of century.
It is only a matter of time until European becomes an obsolete denomination of the intergovernmental organisation, while its Union component will prevail. Or at least, European would be the least significant part of the name as compared to Union, which would gather a greater substance.
As is known, Turkey was accepted as one of the strategic partners of Africa at the 12th ordinary meeting of the Executive Council of African Union which was held in Addis Ababa between 25-29 of January 2008. If we consider the fact that only countries such as People’s Republic of China, Japan, South Korea and India have been previously deemed as strategic partners of the Organisation before, the importance of the qualification that Africa has granted Turkey becomes quite meaningful.
Almost eight months since the vacant post of Secretary General to the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) arose with the death of former Argentine President Nestor Kirchner, the position of was finally filled when Columbia’s Maria Emma Majia Velez, a former Foreign Affairs and Education Minister, was installed on May 10 in Georgetown at a ceremony presided over by Guyana’s President Bharrat Jagdeo, the current chairman of the continental body.
The death of Osama Bin Laden is considered a martyr among all Jihadist and Islamic Militants globally. His death, although has brought a low morale among his followers does not mean that the ideological goals of Al Qaeda will die off. Militant Islamic groups operating globally have their own agenda’s and political motives but will hold dearly to Al Qaeda’s ideological goals.
The Pakistani Government regards the capture and death of Osama Bin Laden an important milestone in the war against terrorism. The Pakistani Government, its security and state institutions have long been serious on efforts to bring Osama Bin Laden to justice. The Pakistanis have been engaged in counter terrorism efforts since 911 and have worked closely with US and its allies in the war on terror.
The preparatory meeting of the annual conference which will be arranged in 2011 of “Balkan Communication Network” established by think tanks of Balkans led by Turkey was held in Skopje, the capital city of Macedonia on 4th April 2011. During the meeting to which representatives of Turkey, Macedonia and notably TASAM Committee attended, the organization Committee of Conference has been established besides assessing these concerned preparations.
Guyana’s successful hosting of the fourth regular summit of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), without doubt, has boosted the country’s international image and has placed it in a position where it can play a leading role in guiding the continental integration process.
In the aftermath of the action by a mutinous section of the Ecuadorian police to topple President Rafael Correa from power on September 30, South American leaders that same evening hurriedly called an emergency summit of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) in Buenos Aires where they “strongly condemned the coup attempt”.
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were the centre of attention when world leaders gathered at the United Nations headquarters in New York on September 20-21 to assess their nations’ success in eradicating global poverty.
Two weeks after the UNASUR-brokered diplomatic fence-mending meeting on August 10 between the Presidents of Venezuela and Colombia, the political action in the region took another turn when the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) on August 23, through an “open letter” to the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) expressed its desire for peace and requested to address the continental body of its vision for the country’s internal conflict.
