Opinions - Turkey

Turkish–Egyptian Cooperation With Boundaries

Turkish–Egyptian Cooperation With Boundaries

by Mustafa Enes Esen, published on 15 November 2025
The foreign ministers of Turkey and Egypt met in Ankara on Wednesday for the first session of the Joint Planning Group. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty was also received by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Such routine meetings, which Turkey holds with many countries, provide a useful moment to review where relations stand and how current dynamics may shape future cooperation.
Orta Asya’nın Yeni Ortak Arayışları

Orta Asya’nın Yeni Ortak Arayışları

by Mehmet Demirbaş, published on 8 November 2025
1990’ların başında Sovyetlerin dağılmasıyla birlikte, Türki cumhuriyetler bağımsızlıklarını kazandı ve Orta Asya yeniden jeopolitik bir hareketliliğe sahne oldu. Bu bölge artık yalnızca Rusya’nın değil, Çin’in, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri’nin ve hatta Türkiye’nin de ilgi alanında bulunuyor.
The Cost of Deteriorating Turkey–Israel Relations

The Cost of Deteriorating Turkey–Israel Relations

by Mustafa Enes Esen, published on 8 November 2025
The bilateral relationship between Turkey and Israel have experienced its ebbs and flows, but since the war in Gaza, the trajectory has remained mostly downward. The Trump administration has so far exerted pressure on Israel and Turkey to settle their differences. Yet this does not mean that the worsening of relations with Israel comes without costs for Turkey.
Ahmet Davutoğlu’nun Üç Günü

Ahmet Davutoğlu’nun Üç Günü

by Ömer Güler, published on 31 October 2025
Ahmet Davutoğlu AKP döneminin en fazla tartışılan ve Türk Dış Politikasına en çok etki eden dışişleri bakanlarından biridir. Bunu olumlu veya olumsuz anlam yüklemekten ziyade bir durum tespiti olarak ifade ediyorum. Bugün bile Türkiye’nin Suriye politikasının getirdiği mülteci sorunundan dolayı Ahmet Davutoğlu kimi haklı kimi haksız gerekçelerle ağır bir şekilde eleştiriliyor.
Why Turkey May Not Let Hamas Wither Away

Why Turkey May Not Let Hamas Wither Away

by Mustafa Enes Esen, published on 23 October 2025
Under the terms of Trump's 20-point Gaza peace plan, Hamas is expected to transfer control of Gaza first to an international body and eventually to the Palestinian Authority (PA). The Trump administration anticipates that Hamas will eventually wither away as this process unfolds. Ankara, however, may be reluctant to go along with this process.
Will Turkey Acquire Nuclear Weapons?

Will Turkey Acquire Nuclear Weapons?

by Mustafa Enes Esen, published on 9 October 2025
For decades, Turkey has relied on NATO’s nuclear deterrence, with U.S. warheads stationed at Incirlik Air Base. But shifting regional dynamics have begun to test this arrangement. Israel’s military operations in Syria, its regional overreach, and uncertainty over NATO’s willingness to defend Turkey raise a troubling question: could Ankara rethink its nuclear stance?

Reports - Turkey

TURKEY'S RARE ELEMENTS: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES - THE BEYLİKOVA CASE

TURKEY'S RARE ELEMENTS: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES - THE BEYLİKOVA CASE

by Mustafa Enes Esen, Ömer Güler, Harun Güngör and Dr. İmdat Öner, published on 21 May 2026
This report is addressed to two audiences simultaneously: Turkish policymakers weighing how to develop the Beylikova deposit, and Western governments and companies assessing whether Turkey is a credible partner in their supply chain diversification strategies. It examines both the opportunities Turkey’s entry into the rare earth sector could realistically generate and the structural obstacles that stand between the current situation and those outcomes.
Turkey's Vision For a New Syria

Turkey's Vision For a New Syria

by Mustafa Enes Esen, Haşim Tekineş, Mehmet Demirbaş and Servet Akman, published on 14 February 2026
This report analyzes Turkey’s vision for Syria following the fall of the Assad family and the rise of the HTS under the leadership of Ahmad al-Sharaa. In this regard, it focuses on the foreign actors that, alongside Turkey, now have the greatest ability to shape Syria’s future: namely the United States and Israel.
Electrifying Turkey's Roads: EV Adoption Scenarios & Their Impact on Oil Imports

Electrifying Turkey's Roads: EV Adoption Scenarios & Their Impact on Oil Imports

by Baki Kaya, Ömer Güler, Harun Güngör, and Mustafa Enes Esen, published on 10 September 2025
This study evaluates, through long-term projections to 2053, the potential impact of increased EV penetration on Turkey’s energy landscape. It provides a comparative assessment of how changes in the share of EVs within the total vehicle fleet, across several scenario frameworks, could influence fuel demand and petroleum import volumes. A second, closely related objective is to measure the scale of Turkey’s oil dependency in order to establish a basis for examining its policy implications.
Geopolitical Constraints of Turkey's Energy Hub Ambitions

Geopolitical Constraints of Turkey's Energy Hub Ambitions

by Mustafa Enes Esen, published on 8 July 2025
This study focuses on the geopolitical dimensions and constraints shaping Turkey’s ambition to become a natural gas hub. The emphasis is on Turkey’s diplomatic relations with key supplier countries, the political instability across the wider Middle East, and the limited capacity of neighboring states to produce and export gas reliably—factors that collectively can make or undermine Turkey’s hub ambitions.
MODERNIZING THE TURKEY–EU CUSTOMS UNION: ISSUES AND PROSPECTS

MODERNIZING THE TURKEY–EU CUSTOMS UNION: ISSUES AND PROSPECTS

by instituDE, published in March 2025
The Turkey–EU Customs Union, established in 1995, has been a defining feature of trade relations between Turkey and the European Union. Over the past three decades, the global economic landscape has evolved significantly, necessitating a modernization of the agreement to address new trade realities, regulatory developments, and emerging geopolitical challenges.
TURKEY‘S MASS PURGE AS VIOLATIONS OF THE RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN PUBLIC SERVICE IN ICCPR

TURKEY‘S MASS PURGE AS VIOLATIONS OF THE RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN PUBLIC SERVICE IN ICCPR

by instituDE, published on 23 October 2024
'A gift from God' was one of Erdoğan's first descriptions related to coup attempt in July 15. At first no one realized that God's gift meant a chaotic environment in which he needed to declare a national emergency with no checks and balances and then transform Türkiye’s parliamentary democracy into an executive presidency.

Videos - Turkey

AİHM, Siyaset ve İnsan Hakları

January 14, 2026
by Haşim Tekineş and Hakan Kaplankaya
Hukukçu-Avukat Hakan Kaplankaya AİHM'nin Türkiye'deki hak arama mücadelesindeki önemini değerlendirdi.

Türkiye-Rusya İlişkilerinin 10 Yılı

November 27, 2025
by Haşim Tekineş and Kerim Has, published on 27 November 2025
Türkiye'nin hava sahasını işgal eden Rus jetini düşürmesinin üzerinden tam on yıl geçti. Peki bu on yılda ikili ilişkiler nasıl bir seyir izledi? Dr. Kerim Has Ankara-Moskova hattındaki dalgalı ilişkileri değerlendirdi.

Erdoğan'a Mesaj mı? Amerika'da Tanıdıklarım Var Benim!

November 11, 2025
by Haşim Tekineş, published on 11 November 2025
Hakan Fidan'ın sürpriz Amerika ziyareti Ankara'daki dengeler açısından ne anlama geliyor? Erdoğan bu ziyarete nasıl bakıyor?

Şarm el-Şeyh'te Bir Fırsat mı Kaçırıldı?

October 14, 2025
by Haşim Tekineş, published on 14 October 2025
Mısır'da ABD başkanı Donald Trump, Erdoğan ve 20 ülke başkanının katılımıyla büyük bir Gazze barış zirvesi gerçekleştirildi. Peki Zirve bekleneni verebildi mi? Türkiye Gazze'ye asker gönderecek mi? Riskler neler? Asker göndermeye niyetli başka ülkeler hangisi?

Erdoğan'ın Amerika'da Mutlu Günü

September 25, 2025
by Haşim Tekineş, published on 25 September 2025
Erdoğan'ın Beyaz Saray ziyareti ve Türk-Amerikan ilişkileri. Peki sonuç ne? Yaptırımlar, S-400, F-35ler...; 'Erdoğan hileli seçimler iyi bilir'; Gazetecilerin performansı; Erdoğan'a yeşil ışık; Gazze.

Amerika'nın Katar ve Polonya Sınavları

September 11, 2025
İsrail Katar'ı vurdu. Rus İHA'ları ise Polonya hava sahasını işgal etti. Amerika'nın tepkisi ne olacak?
by Mehmet Demirbaş and Haşim Tekineş, published on 11 September 2025