Barçın Yinanç, hurriyetdailynews.com [Interview with Professor Nurşin Ateşoğlu, dean and head of the international relations department at Bahçeşehir (BAU) Cyprus University who was previously head of the international relations department at Yıldız Technical University].
Nurşin Ateşoğlu image from interview
Excerpt:Would you say the Middle East is entering a new era?
Yes, definitely. 2015 was a historical turning point. Compared to the U.S., Russia has limited military capabilities, but by creating anti-access/area-denial exclusion zones in Syria it has used this limited capability in a very skillful way and thus maintained its presence in the region. That’s why Russia is also now a neighbor of Turkey to the south. With its two naval basis and deployment of an air defense system, Moscow’s power projection in these areas has been extended. Russia has come back to the Middle East, which it had left, and it is now a game-setter for the region. ...
What do you think about Turkey’s recent initiative following the U.S.’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital?
I believe Turkey conducted very successful public diplomacy on the issue. Trump took this decision because he knew about disunity in the Islamic and Arab world. But by bringing together the Organization of Islamic Cooperation [OIC] in such a short time, Turkey showed that it is not alone it its policy. Some leaders did not show up but the summit ultimately issued the decision to recognize East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine. Obviously there are question marks about the implementation process but still this poses some pressure. There are few such decisions in OIC history, and I think the summit served at least as a wake-up call.
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