Epstein Secrets

ly News Ties with Iran sour over Syria EFTA_R1_00537957 EFTA02029076 Semih Idiz August/10/2012 -- Syria has made a mockery of Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's "zero problems with neighbors" policy. Just two years ago Ankara was going out of its way to court Bashar al-Assad, in apparent defiance of the W

vinced, probably correctly, that each day devoted to national security is a day not spent talking about the economy. And criticizing the slayer of Osama bin Laden requires a more sophisticated critique than the presidential campaign — currently at the level of "Romney Hood" vs. "Obamaloney" — will bear. But

ent. The crisis in Syria will likely lead to a recalibration of Turkish foreign policy. The architect of Turkey's foreign policy, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, coined the phrase "zero problems with neighbors" to describe the guiding principle of Turkey's interactions with surrounding regimes. Turkey obvio

rting a pell-mell civil war. President Obama is embracing the logic of a political settlement for Afghanistan with his speech Wednesday night. With Osama bin Laden dead, Obama can claim that America's core mission of combating al-Qaeda is succeeding. He can bring some troops home and step up diplomatic negotia

ce-?off with Israel could be the start of a new foreign policy, one that focuses on hard power instead of soft. Up to now, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has pursued a policy of "zero problems with neighbors," full of touchy-feely confidence-building measures like joint historical commissions with Ar

ill a lot of nasty and brutally determined al-Qaeda figures out there," he said. "I do not think that al-Qaeda is out of business because they lost Osama bin Laden. Not by a long shot." The second hard truth is that al-Qaeda's future is inextricably linked with that of Afghanistan and the Taliban. "Al-Qaeda is

report's findings, the government has also stated that it does not recognize the report's validity. Shortly after the leak, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu announced a package of sanctions against Israel. Turkey first downgraded its diplomatic ties with Israel, and the minister also declared that Turkey

“We need evidence,” adds 17-year-old Buhary El-Quasamy. When I point out that both Obama and al Qaeda agree on the basic facts that the U.S. killed bin Laden, she shrugs. “Well, I can say anything I want, too.” Such are the responses when the region’s leaders—and the press they controlled—have systematica

on. With senior Saudi officials and King Abdullah of Jordan openly backing the revolt, and the violence escalating, Erdogan and his foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, who have long harboured regional leadership ambitions, seem to be positioning themselves for a post-Assad future. In this push towards the Syrian en

an stand on its own without U.S. assistance. Relations with Pakistan have deteriorated significantly under Obama's tenure, particularly following the bin Laden raid. He has pledged to "constantly evaluate" the relationship between the two countries going forward but says he would be hesitant to cut off aid t