International Women’s Day: A day of celebration or mourning?

By Merve Şebnem Oruç | Published: March 8, 2021

Have you ever asked yourselves why we do celebrate Women’s Day every year? Yes, yes, I know… International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated on March 8 every year in almost all the countries around the world, marking that women gained right to vote in Russia in 1917 after which March 8 officially became a national […]

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The Tatmadaw Turns Back the Clock in Myanmar

By Merve Şebnem Oruç | Published: February 6, 2021

On the morning of February 1, Myanmar, a Southeast Asian country of more than 100 ethnic groups, bordering India, Bangladesh, China, Laos and Thailand, woke up to the news that the military seized control of the state. The country’s leader (the official title is the State Counsellor) Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s President Win Myint, […]

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If no one reports a massacre somewhere on earth, has it still happened?

By Merve Şebnem Oruç | Published: January 4, 2021

“If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, does it make a sound?” Philosopher George Berkeley asked this question while he was looking for answers to the notion that perception creates our reality. “Sound” is used to describe a physical phenomenon, an audible wave of pressure; but it is also an […]

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How did US-Turkey relations fall apart?

By Merve Şebnem Oruç | Published: December 11, 2020

On May 16, 2013, Barack Obama, whose second term as president had begun a few months earlier, met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was then prime minister. Calling each other “friends” and complimenting each other’s families during a press conference in the Rose Garden of the White House, they were looking at the […]

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How the Syrian War Became the Gravest Mistake of Our Era

By Merve Şebnem Oruç | Published: November 30, 2020

When the Kwantung Army of Japan invaded Manchuria crushing Chinese forces in 1931, the world did nothing. It was the first sign of the ineffectiveness of the League of Nations as a force to preserve peace. Then, in 1937, Japan started to invade China capturing city after city. When Nanking fell, they killed hundreds of […]

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Tensions between Turkey and Greece May Flare Up in the Eastern Mediterranean

By Merve Şebnem Oruç | Published: October 16, 2020

The natural gas exploration activities in the East Mediterranean in the 2000s revealed that there is a great economic potential in the region. But new opportunities have come with new challenges and crises as they remain susceptible to regional conflicts arising from the fact that maritime borders between the littoral states were not demarcated before […]

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Will Afghanistan Ever Find Peace?

By Merve Şebnem Oruç | Published: September 4, 2020

Afghanistan is back in the news. The front pages of the main American newspapers are carrying the news of some new Afghan developments. At this time, the attention is on the Russian effort to hurt the Americans as they begin to withdraw from Afghanistan. It is alleged that Moscow is paying Taliban fighters large bounties […]

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What does Turkey’s gas discovery mean for the country and the region?

By Merve Şebnem Oruç | Published: August 31, 2020

Addressing to the nation on Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that Turkey’s Fatih drilling vessel discovered the country’s largest natural gas reverse in its history in Tuna-1 field in the Black Sea. Erdoğan said the reserve discovered is amounted to 320 billion cubic meters. There are additional layers below the discovered reserve, according […]

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Amid tensions with Greece, a win-win solution possible through dialogue, Turkey says

By Merve Şebnem Oruç | Published: August 25, 2020

Earlier this month the Turkish government announced that it would continue its drilling activities in the Eastern Mediterranean until August 23.. “Our MTA Oruc Reis seismic research vessel reached the operation area after departing from Antalya, for its new mission in the Mediterranean. Around 83 million Turkish people support you, Oruc Reis,” Energy and Natural […]

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How suddenly a tiny, invisible thing changed our lives?

By Merve Şebnem Oruç | Published: August 4, 2020

COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, has drastically changed the routines of our lives. For instance, as a columnist closely following the Middle East, I still cannot focus entirely on my beat because the world’s top agenda is still the pandemic. The coronavirus continues to infect people and claim lives across the world, and […]

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