In the new era, Turkey’s increasing detachment from the West underscores a major shift in Ankara’s strategic thinking. With the Eurasianist ideology increasingly emboldened in foreign policy decision-making, Turkey’s relations with the West have grown more strained, and anti-American and anti-Western sentiment among the country’s ruling elite has dramatically ramped up.

With thisthis outstanding diplomatic activism, Ankara is increasingly shoring up ties with new partners in the region. Yet, what is striking is that the Turkish government keeps pushing to expand its footprint further in distant geographies at a time when the Turkish economy is crumbling.

Exiled mafia boss Sedat Peker’s allegations against political elites in Turkey being involved in narcotic trafficking has focused attention on its murky relationship with Venezuela. Imdat Oner, a policy analyst at Jack D Gordon Institute at Florida International University in Miami, said that from the start of Turkey’s opening to Venezuela in 2018 there were questions about the exact nature of the relationship that remain difficult to answer.

Konuşa Konuşa'da Gülten Sarı'nın konuğu, ordunun çağrısı üzerine koltuğunu bırakarak Meksika'ya sığınan Evo Morales ve ülkesi Bolivya'daki son gelişmeleri değerlendiren Gordon Institute araştırmacısı İmdat Öner.

Venezuela’yla şaibeli ilişkiler nedeniyle Halkbank'a ABD'de yeni bir dava açılması ihtimalini değerlendirdi.

El Salvador Devlet Başkanı Nayib Bukele, Türkiye’yi ziyaret ederek Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan ile bir araya geldi. Bukele, başta Twitter olmak üzere sosyal medyada son derece aktif bir isim. Türkiye’ye geldikten sonra attığı paylaştığı esprili selamlama tweeti de bunu doğruluyor: “Öncelikle, Bitcoin diyarı El Salvador’dan tüm Türkiye’ye selamlar”!

The increased U.S. sanctions have significantly increased the opaque dealings of the Venezuelan government with several U.S. adversaries. The Maduro administration has apparently taken advantage of the sanctions. It is believed that the Venezuelan government utilizes corruption and other illicit revenues to ensure the loyalty of the elites and security forces to be able to remain in power.

Almost three years ago, a booming gold trade between Turkey and Venezuela captured international headlines amid the mounting sanctions against the Maduro administration. Similarly,Turkish mobster Sedat Peker’s allegations about a new drug trafficking route from Venezuela have recently captured the headlines in Turkey.

Lacking personal charisma and booming oil revenues, Nicolas Maduro has struggled to obtain his predecessor’s popular support and failed to legitimize his rule at the polls. Instead, Maduro consolidated his power through sharing it with elites and the military. Externally, the country’s social, economic, and political environment has contributed to the growing perception among international actors that the regime is becoming ever more authoritarian and unstable.

Latin Amerika’nın krizlerle boğuşan ülkesi Venezuela’da pazar günü Parlamento seçimleri gerçekleştirildi. Muhalefetin büyük çoğunluğu, özgür ve adil olmadığı gerekçesiyle seçimleri boykot kararı alarak yarışa dahil olmadı. Resmi sonuçlara göre seçimlere katılım oranı %31 ile sınırlı kaldı. Maduro’nun liderliğindeki GPP, oyların %67’sini alarak Meclis’te çoğunluğu kazanan parti oldu.

Alex Saab, a little-known Colombian businessman, was detained on the African island archipelago of Cape Verde on Friday after an Interpol “red notice” was issued against him. The 48-year-old was allegedly en route to Iran to negotiate some deals to exchange Venezuelan gold for Iranian gasoline.

As the coronavirus outbreak spreads, Turkey has garnered global attention with its “generous and benevolent” medical donations. Ankara has sent medical supplies to more than 70 countries across the globe during the pandemic, including to the United States and to Britain. Many experts and analysts consider the aid to be part of Ankara’s strategy to leverage its soft power. At first glance, Turkey's efforts may look like a smart tactic to repair its tarnished image in the West.

This report on the relationship between Turkey and Venezuela argues that Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has drawn close to Maduro “based on the two leaders’ mutual dislike of the West and frustration with U.S. sanctions.”

After Venezuela’s dictator Maduro won the sham elections on May 20, the Trump administration has been facing the difficult question of how to push for a transition of power in Venezuela. After a long time, high-level officials of the United States administration have started to hint at the desirability of a putsch in that Latin American country.

On August 4, President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela was the target of the first-ever drone “assassination attempt” against a president. It took place as Maduro spoke at the 81st anniversary of the country’s National Guard. He survived the assault, as one drone crashed into a nearby apartment building and the other seemingly exploded in air.

The recent announcement from the Venezuelan Central Bank that it is sending gold to Turkey to be refined has not received enough attention amid the diplomatic row between Turkey and the United States. The spat started with growing frustration over Turkey’s detention of American pastor Andrew Brunson and has now ramped up with both sides imposing tariffs.

Venezuela is in the throes of a severe economic and humanitarian crisis. The incompetent, repressive policies of President Nicolás Maduro have propelled Venezuela into a downward spiral, and political turmoil is deepening the chaotic situation in the country. The economic and humanitarian crises, coupled with rising authoritarianism, have forced many Venezuelans to flee.

Andrés Oppenheimer’s latest article, “Has Venezuela’s opposition lost its voice?”, addresses a critical question. It’s undeniable that in the past year the Venezuelan opposition has disappeared as a visible, coherent public and political force in the country.

Aside from the fact that Erdogan’s visit was the first-ever visit by a Turkish head of state to Venezuela, Erdogan’s visit bluntly demonstrates Turkey’s determination to strengthen its bilateral relations with the embattled Maduro regime despite rising international sanctions and pressure.

Last week, the president of Venezuela’s National Assembly, Juan Guaidó, declared himself the country’s interim president in accordance with Venezuela’s constitutional provisions. Shortly after, the Trump administration swiftly proclaimed its support for Guaidó.

The close relationship with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan offers Maduro a much-needed lifeline that might help his regime breathe under increasing isolation and sanctions.