Epstein Secrets

st December, it continues to expand its theater of operations beyond the familiar near-abroad stretching from Lebanon and Syria to Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf. The long arm of the Islamic revolution Nearly two dozen incidents within the past eighteen months (including recent attempts in Azerbaijan, India

called "Turkey's principled attitude regarding the Iranian nuclear program adopted during the voting in the UN Security Council." Foreign Minister Davutoglu told reporters on Wednesday that statements such as Firozabadi's "could also harm Iran," and added that Turkey expected Iranian officials "to think

key really began when Ankara allowed the United States to deploy radar facilities on Turkish soil for NATO's "defense shield" project. Erdogan and Davutoglu still insist these facilities are not against Iran, but this is a claim no one, least of all Tehran, is buying. Matters between the two countries h

tability. - Iran may not be able to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed indefinitely, but even threats and potential attempts will cause volatility in the Persian Gulf. Some point to recent history and argue that Iran has never launched a large-scale retaliatory attack. But times have changed, and Iran's position

Armenians in Turkey a crime. Troubles to be sure, but should these be interpreted as "failures," and more precisely as "Turkish failures"? Perhaps, Davutoglu was insufficiently cautious, or alternatively too optimistic, when he articulated the zero problems diplomacy, but was it not an accurate way of si

sociated with Ottoman rule over much of the Arab world. It should be recalled that Turkish foreign policy began charting a new course years before Davutoglu became foreign minister. In an important sense, the turning point came in 2003 when the Turkish government refused to allow the United States to us

violence continues at this pitch for much longer, it's easy to imagine local and sectarian militias forming, with the Sunnis receiving funding from the Persian Gulf. Such a scenario would be a disaster for Syrians of all backgrounds. The ripple effects would be felt in Lebanon (which would likely be sucked int

he campaign trail, the AKP's senior members have consistently championed the party's foreign outlook. At a speech in April, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said, "Our ideal is to make this country a pioneer in the world, like our predecessors who carried out their goal of order for the whole world." Er

join the European Union.In late May, on the eve of the coming elections and just before the first anniversary of the storming of the Mavi Marmara, Davutoglu dismissed pleas by the United Nations and others to prevent a new flotilla from departing for Gaza. (Fifteen ships, including the Mavi Marmara, are

ability. - Iran may not be able to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed indefinitely, but even threats and potential attempts will cause volatility in the Persian Gulf. Some point to recent history and argue that Iran has never launched a large-scale retaliatory attack. But times have changed, and Iran's position

accurate way of signaling a new dawn for Turkey's approach to neighbors, especially its Arab neighbors, and actually, to the world as a whole. And Davutoglu followed through with a dizzying series of initiatives, conceiving of the neighborhood in a broad sense and managing to banish many of the bad mem

Europe and North America in recent months have delighted in citing with a literary smirk "zero problems with neighbors," the centerpiece of Ahmet Davutoglu's foreign policy agenda since he became foreign minister on May 1, 2009, having previously served as chief advisor to both the prime minister and f

s (UAE) may be moderating its stance on Iran. Besides speculation that secret talks between the UAE and Iran over an unresolved islands dispute in the Persian Gulf are close to a successful conclusion, the ruler of EFTA00676565 Dubai and prime minister of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al- Maktoum, has p

ile insisting that the United States would stay out of Turkish domestic politics and rhapsodizing on the bilateral relationship. Not surprisingly, Davutoglu agreed. EFTA00676569 Erdogan's denunciation of supposed U.S. meddling puts Washington in a difficult position: If the United States weighs in on

essage to President Assad that ... he should step down," said Ben Rhodes, Barack Obama's deputy national security adviser. In a series of statements, Davutoglu has insisted it is "no longer possible to trust the Syrian government" ". Adding provocation to insult, he underscored Ankara's support for the prote

step down, joining the NATO intervention in Libya, and supporting stricter sanctions against Syria. The president has been less outspoken about other Persian Gulf allies, including Bahrain, which hosts a key U.S. naval base. Obama has urged Egypt and Tunisia to "set a strong example through free and fair electi