Archives International politics - Page 101 of 120 - New Eastern Outlook

The meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, on September 4 of this year sparked heated debate in the media. Expert assessments were frequently wishful thinking having little to do with reality. The prospect of regional leadership in the South Caucasus was one of these topics. Prior to the presidents’ meeting this year, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan traveled to Moscow on August 31 and September 1 with the goal of organizing the summit in Sochi and agreeing upon the agenda of the negotiations between…

The recent military coup in Gabon – the latest example of a domino effect in which neo-colonial regimes have collapsed one after another in Africa – has resulted in yet another headache for France. As media around the world have noted, in yet another serious blow to French interests, Gabon’s President Ali Bongo was deposed by a military junta shortly after he was declared the winner of the general election, despite the fact that the vote was widely condemned within the country as being fraudulent, fixed, and not representing the will of the people. Readers will remember that in the past three years, military officers have overthrown the presidents of Burkina Faso…

At one time many experts and political commentators took the view that there were real hopes for a restoration of good relations between Turkey and Syria, with Russia and Iran acting as brokers, and the prospects for a rapprochement between the two neighbors seemed rosy. But the predicted improvement in relations failed to materialize, and now, in the light of recent statements by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, it seems more unlikely than ever. In a televised interview on August 9, Bashar al-Assad said that he would not meet with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and stressed that “the goal of the Turkish president is to legitimize…