Author: Muhammet Ali Zurnacı

Between Regionalization and Clashing Interests A terse review: U.S.-China competition and cooperation influence the globe, transcending continents and regions. The Near East and Eurasia are no exception. Both regions appear caught in the uncalculated costs of their policy choices. The gas superpower Russia seems to have overreached. Turkey has shifted away from its pro-Muslim Brotherhood…

MUHAMMET ALI ZURNACI At a time when U.S. decision-makers debate whether MiG-29 fighter jets should be sent to Ukraine via Poland, Turkey’s entrepreneurial effort at mediation appears stillborn. The international agenda is centered on two critical questions: Even these significant military and economic issues may not prove to be game-changers. Thus, it is not difficult…

Muhammet Ali Zurnacı/Istanbul The pulse of a power shift throughout Eastern Europe is now unmistakable. The Russian invasion of Ukraine 2.0 makes this reality clearer than ever. We are transitioning from a point where Russia could not invade any European nation to a point where it can reach the capital of Ukraine. This is no…

Muhammet Ali Zurnacı The emphasis on the economy in the final National Security Council (MGK) meeting of 2021 might reveal more than surface-level speculation. When I first encountered the word economy in the press release, it sparked immediate thoughts: how does a bureaucratic state tradition reconcile such a comparative and relative approach? After all, the Ministry of…

MUHAMMET ALİ ZURNACI In the midst of Ukraine Crisis 2.0, Secretary of State Anthony J. Blinken tweeted: “Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.” A week earlier, he had underscored the U.S. position on Russian aggression beyond Ukraine, emphasizing international principles crucial for peace and security: “These principles transcend Ukraine. They transcend Europe.”This triggered a thought in my mind: “And so,…