Karel Valansi'nin kaleminden...

Ongoing conflicts and crises across various regions continue to underscore the intensifying power rivalries that define today’s international relations. The erosion of the post-1945 international order—and the weakening of the institutions that underpin it—has been further accelerated by the United States’ growing reluctance to maintain its traditional leadership role. As a result, uncertainty has become a defining feature of the current global landscape, marking a turbulent and complex period of transition.  Amid this shifting order, middle powers have begun to occupy a broader space in global affairs. These states, often positioned between global hegemons and smaller, less influential nations, act as stabilizers within the international system. Through mediation efforts, regional diplomacy, and strategic initiatives—sometimes beyond their material capabilities—they contribute meaningfully to international stability and governance. In times of heightened uncertainty, such states o...

“We shall defend our people with all the means at our disposal. We shall not allow any enemy to develop weapons of mass destruction turned against us. [If not,] another Holocaust would have happened in the history of the Jewish people. Never again, never again!” The words in the  title  and the above  quote  do not belong to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor address Israel’s recent Operation Rising Lion, a sophisticated military and  intelligence  campaign targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities, missile bases, key military personnel, and nuclear scientists. These words were reportedly Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin’s (1977-1983), following the 1981 strike on the Osirak nuclear reactor near Baghdad, Iraq, codenamed  Operation Opera  -Israel’s first anticipatory self-defense operation to prevent an adversary from acquiring nuclear weapons. Thus, was born the Begin Doctrine; Israel’s strategic policy of preemptive action of self-defen...

In his opening speech at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum on April 11, 2025, Turkish President Recep Tayyip  Erdogan  described Israel as a “terrorist state” that threatens regional stability, aiming to “stir up ethnic and religious affiliations in Syria and turn minorities against the government.” Since the fall of Assad’s regime in December 2024, Turkey and Israel have emerged as dominant power brokers in Syria, filling the void left by the diminishing influence of Russia and Iran. This new reality on the ground has significantly worsened the already tense relationship between Turkey and Israel. There is an ongoing debate about the possibility of a direct military confrontation between Turkey and Israel over Syria, which the media often amplifies into a drumbeat of a forthcoming war. In fact, beneath the noise, both countries display many parallel responses to the developments in Syria and, at times, share overlapping agendas that eventually force them to establish dialogue chann...

A new era began in Turkey-Israel relations. After a long marathon of diplomacy, the rapprochement, which became visible with  Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog’s highly publicized  visit to Ankara on March 9, 2022, took another step forward with  the meeting of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan  and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid in New York, during the United Nations General Assembly meeting in September. Apart from President Erdo ğ an's encounter with an Israeli prime minister for the first time since December 2008, another symbolic meaning of this date was that it was indeed the starting point for the deterioration in bilateral relations. At the time,  Erdoğan  played the role of facilitator in the talks between Syria and Israel. However, a rupture in Turkish-Israeli ties began with the Operation Cast Lead in Gaza on December 22, 2008, shortly following the return from Turkey to Israel of then-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Turkey and Israel reappointed r...