A Peace Plan for Syria—and for Kurds?

by Robert Olson James Dobbins, Philip Gordon, and Jeffery Martini, ranking members of Rand Corporation and former State Department officials, have authored another study advocating polices that the U.S. should pursue to obtain some kind of peace in Syria. Given the… Continue Reading

Renewal of Turkey-Israel Relations Imminent

by Robert Olson Turkey and Israel will likely normalize diplomatic relations in the next few months or sooner. The media in Turkey and Israel have reported that the two countries will soon exchange ambassadors—the point at which normalization would be… Continue Reading

Where is Turkey Headed?

by Robert Olson The recent sacking of Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, coupled with recently passed parliamentary bills and laws, confirms that Turkey is headed for one-man dictatorial rule. This rule will not be similar to dictators or regimes that have… Continue Reading

Does Turkey See Its Armenian Minority as a Security Threat?

by Dorian Jones Members of the small ethnic Armenian community in Turkey are feeling increasingly uneasy. Their wariness is an outgrowth of recent claims by senior officials in Ankara that Kurdish rebels collaborate with Turkish Armenians, as well as the government’s… Continue Reading

Turkey’s Geopolitical Aims in Syria

by Robert Olson Turkey hopes to use the 2.7 million Syrian refugees now in Turkey as vehicles to develop and consolidate it geopolitical and geo-economic position. This is a vastly different policy from the one Ankara pursued toward Kurdish refugees… Continue Reading