Nihat Ali Özcan, PhD
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Make room for non-state actors
Saying the Syrian regime is about to die is, of course, not an assertive prophecy. People know that it is not possible for the al-Assad regime to set itself free from…
Lessons of the ‘humanitarian corridor’
As for Turkey, the apparent “humanitarian corridor” that was applied in Iraq after the First Gulf War was evidently not educational enough. Foreign Minister Ahmet…
Intelligence wars: quo vadis?
The rapidly changing agenda in Turkey doesn’t mean disputed issues have been resolved. Problems are either frozen or kept waiting until they will be argued again. Though…
The PKK and the ‘Child Soldiers’
Turkey has been struggling with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) for a long time. The question has, of course, political, legal, economic, social and…
Contribution to MİT Debate
Details of the negotiations carried out behind closed doors between the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) and the PKK have been brought into the open through the…
Syria, Turkey and military intervention
The changing nature of the clashes indicates Syria is drifting into a civil war. Long-lasting fights mean more pain for Syrian people. However, without foreign…
Turkey, Israel and Hamas
The Palestine question was the most popular issue in the Turkish political Islam movement between 1960 and 1980. It had an extremely significant role in building the…
The PKK question and Erdoğan’s tough choice
The agenda is changing with dizzying speed in Turkey, but there are unchangeable issues, like the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) question. Unfortunately, as winter ends,…
Gen Başbuğ’s arrest: Political or legal debacle?
Turkey is not a country that can be understood easily by foreigners. The speed of developments and change leaves one reeling. But there’s no need to make much of a fuss…
Iran, Syria and beyond
Time is ticking away for everyone regarding Iran. While the United States tries to corner Iran, it runs out the clock as it did in the past. It hopes to possess nuclear…
Lessons learned from ‘Uludere’
The approaches and debates regarding the unfortunate Uludere incident are quite educational. Data provided by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and their transformation to…
Oil, the Kurds and the future of Iraq
The U.S. has withdrawn its troops from Iraq. While the last units were leaving Iraq, an important agreement was being signed in the Kurdish region. The Kurdish…