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Where does Turkey fit in a Middle East transformed by the Iran War, the Saudi-Houthi conflict, and growing doubts about the durability of US security commitments? I spoke with two excellent scholars, Dr. Meliha Benli Altunışık and Dr. Derya Göçer ++

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Yaman Akdeniz @cyber-rights.org · 30/09/2026

Sansür dalgası tsunamiye dönüştü. Bugünkü hedef @t24.com.tr haber sitesi. Haber yapmanın yasak olmadığı bir ülkede, 2009'dan beri yayın yapan haber sitesine erişim engeli getirildi.

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Can Candan @cncndn.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Turkey’s Nuclear Ambitions in the Post-Iran War Environment by @gonultol.bsky.social - the Middle East Institute (MEI) mei.edu/publication/...

mei.edu

Turkey’s Nuclear Ambitions in the Post-Iran War Environment - Middle East Institute

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Gönül Tol @gonultol.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Read our collection of short essays by @MiddleEastInst fellows exploring the many dimensions of the war with Iran, from its regional and geopolitical consequences to its economic and security implications. Find the full collection here: mei.edu/beyond-the-i...

mei.edu

The Middle East Beyond the Iran War - Middle East Institute

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T24 @t24.com.tr · 27/09/2026

Türkiye de listede: İşçiler için en kötü 10 ülke açıklandı t24.com.tr/foto-haber/t...

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Gönül Tol @gonultol.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

And Turkey, which has invested significantly in Ethiopia.

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Gönül Tol @gonultol.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

All regional autocrats, including Erdoğan, pinned their hopes on Trump, whom they thought was “one of us.” And that was exactly the problem. Almost two years into his presidency, Trump has not only failed to follow through on his promises to these leaders, but his reckless policies have ++

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Gönül Tol @gonultol.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Turkey’s deepening fund scandal has now reached the upper ranks of the ruling AK Party, with Deputy Chair Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya resigning from her party position amid allegations over stock trades involving her and her husband. t24.com.tr/politika/akp...

t24.com.tr

AKP Sözcüsü Çelik: Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya'nın af talebi kabul edildi, artık MYK ve MKYK üyemiz değil | T24

Adı fon soruşturmasına karışan AKP Genel Başkan Yardımcısı Fatma Betül Sayan Kaya, görevlerinden istifa etmişti.

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Gönül Tol @gonultol.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

The governments of Kenya and Norway hosted the launch of our new report on the sidelines of #UNGA yesterday, bringing together high-level officials from across the Horn and the US. A few takeaways on how the Iran and Saudi-Houthi wars are reshaping the Horn:1/5

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JamesInTurkey.com @jamesinturkey.com · 23/09/2026

Ankara’s mayor has made his move. He leaves the CHP – the party that embraced him more than 16 years ago – and vows to sit as an independent, saying his first responsibility is to the voters who elected him.

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Gönül Tol @gonultol.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

📣OUT NOW: The Horn and Middle Powers: Entanglement, Competition, and Perception A new AtrocitiesWatch report examines how Turkey, the UAE, Egypt and other regional powers are reshaping the region’s wars, alliances and politics. Read my chapter on Turkish-Israeli rivalry in the Horn here:.👇

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Gönül Tol @gonultol.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

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Howard Eissenstat @heissenstat.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Important new report from @gonultol.bsky.social at MEI. "Turkey will most likely try to remain within the NPT, seeking to expand its nuclear options without openly crossing the line into weaponization while maintaining strategic ambiguity about its ultimate intentions." mei.edu/publication/...

mei.edu

Turkey’s Nuclear Ambitions in the Post-Iran War Environment - Middle East Institute

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Foreign Affairs @foreignaffairs.com · 21/08/2026

Politicians’ failures to deliver on promises “not only erode confidence in democracy; they also undercut sovereignty.” Read @pahlkadot.bsky.social and @andrewgreenway.bsky.social on how to fix democracy:

foreignaffairs.com

Democracies Need Creative Destruction

How to make government work again.

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Hediye Levent @hediyelevent.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

📌Amerika-İsrail ilişkisi sarsılıyor mu? 📌Trump'ın İran hesaplarında son durum ne? Gönül Tol @gonultol.bsky.social ile Amerika içindeki durumu ve savaşın seyrini konuştuk. Abone olmayı unutmayın! www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OCf...

youtube.com

İran savaşında yeni cephe mi açılıyor? Amerika, İsrail'e desteğini sürdürecek mi?

YouTube video by Hediye Levent

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Dr. Albert B. Wolf @abwolf1648.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

New @warontherocks.bsky.social: how do the Iran war, Assad's fall, & the PKK's dissolution reshape Kurdish prospects? Joined @gonultol.bsky.social, @akmckeever.bsky.social, & Mohammed Salih to break it down. My section: KRG's leverage with Baghdad. warontherocks.com/the-shifting...

warontherocks.com

The Shifting Fortunes of the Kurds

The Kurds’ fortunes have ebbed and flowed in recent years, but the fall of the Assad regime in Syria in December 2024, the 2025 decision by the Kurdistan

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Turkey recap @turkeyrecap.bsky.social · 14/06/2026

📰 Sunday extras: "From Weak Link to Kingmaker? Turkey's NATO Moment" with Amb. John Bass, Gen. Phil Breedlove and @gonultol.bsky.social. [1/5]

youtube.com

From Weak Link to Kingmaker? Turkey's NATO Moment

YouTube video by Middle East Institute

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The New York Times @nytimes.com · 08/06/2026

In @nytopinion.nytimes.com “Russia’s decline has given Turkey, after a decade of deference to Moscow, the freedom to pursue its interests. Ukraine is the beneficiary,” Gonul Tol writes.

nyti.ms

Opinion | Erdogan and Putin, the End of an Unlikely Partnership

Russia’s decline has given Turkey the freedom to pursue its interests, and Ukraine is the beneficiary.

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Gönül Tol @gonultol.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

Read my latest in the New York Times about how Turkey is helping Ukraine expand its presence in a part of the Middle East where Vladimir Putin once enjoyed considerable influence. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/07/o...

nytimes.com

Opinion | Erdogan and Putin, the End of an Unlikely Partnership

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Howard Eissenstat @heissenstat.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

“Erdogan [controls] media, security services and every state bureaucracy, [yet his rule shows] not a collapse, but a slow erosion, from both regime fatigue and his failure to recover the economy.” My comments, along with @gonultol.bsky.social and Henri Barkey for al Hurra alhurra.com/en/21387

alhurra.com

Erdogan’s Grip Faces Its Toughest Test Yet | Alhurra

Within the span of just a few days, the crisis surrounding Turkey’s main opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP), moved from the courtroom to the streets. On May 22, an appeals court …

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Turkey recap @turkeyrecap.bsky.social · 17/05/2026

🎙️Sunday extras! Podcasts only edition: "Will the PKK Really Disarm?" with Aliza Marcus and @gonultol.bsky.social. [1/5]

youtube.com

Will the PKK Really Disarm?

YouTube video by Middle East Institute

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Turkey recap @turkeyrecap.bsky.social · 17/05/2026

"Middle Eastern Rivalry in the Horn of Africa" with @mmabrouk.bsky.social, @gonultol.bsky.social, Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj. [3/5]

mei.edu

Middle Eastern Rivalry in the Horn of Africa - Middle East Institute

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Gönül Tol @gonultol.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

In 2025, jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan made a historic call for the group to disarm and dissolve, raising hopes of ending a 40-year conflict that has shaped Turkey and the wider region. Months later, the PKK symbolically laid down arms in what many viewed as a breakthrough moment for the ++

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Gönül Tol @gonultol.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

Syria is in the midst of a fragile transition. Many observers see positive momentum but the risks remain serious: regional spillover, deep humanitarian needs, funding shortfalls, Israeli strikes, sectarian tensions, stalled political tracks, and continued reports of abuses by multiple actors.++

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Gönül Tol @gonultol.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

My latest on Turkey and the Iran war: The war has posed significant immediate challenges for Turkey but Turkish officials think that Ankara could reap benefits from the war in the long term: mei.edu/publication/...

mei.edu

Turkey Sees Short-Term Pain, Long-Term Gain in the Iran War - Middle East Institute

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mei.edu

Turkey Sees Short-Term Pain, Long-Term Gain in the Iran War - Middle East Institute

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Gönül Tol @gonultol.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

When people who haven’t read the book argue with the person who wrote it…

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Gönül Tol @gonultol.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

Just weeks before Trump’s war began, Iran was in the midst of a powerful wave of anti-regime protests spreading across the country. But once the war started, that momentum largely came to a halt. To unpack what this war means for Iran’s democracy movement,++

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Hediye Levent @hediyelevent.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

📌"Sıra Türkiye'de" ne demek? 📌Trump, Hürmüz'ü işgal eder mi? 📌Körfez ülkeleri İran savaşına nasıl bakıyor? Siyaset Bilimci Gönül Tol @gonultol.bsky.social ve Gazeteci Sarkis Kassarjian @sarkiska.bsky.social ile konuştuk. Abone olmayı unutmayın! www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPOL...

youtube.com

Sırada Türkiye mi var? Hürmüz işgal edilir mi? Gönül Tol ve @sarkiskassargian ile konuşuyoruz

YouTube video by Hediye Levent

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Gönül Tol @gonultol.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

Israel’s campaign in Lebanon isn’t getting enough attention in the West but the country is nearing a breaking point.On my podcast, Lebanese MP Mark Daou and I unpack what Iran war and Israeli operations in Lebanon mean for the country. You can watch here www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vmxl...

youtube.com

Lebanon at the Brink: War, Hizballah, and the Fate of Democracy

YouTube video by Middle East Institute

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Gönül Tol @gonultol.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

youtube.com

Lebanon at the Brink: War, Hizballah, and the Fate of Democracy

YouTube video by Middle East Institute

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Gönül Tol @gonultol.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

In the latest episode of Rethinking Democracy, I speak with Allan Hassaniyan, author of a book on Iranian Kurds. We discuss the history of Kurdish struggle in Iran, where Kurds stand within the broader Iranian opposition, their ties with Israel and the US, and how Kurdish leaders are responding to++

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Gönül Tol @gonultol.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

Trump’s suggestion that they rise up against the regime. Listen here www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sgw...

youtube.com

The Kurdish Card: Can Iranian Kurds Shape the War’s Endgame?

YouTube video by Middle East Institute

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Gönül Tol @gonultol.bsky.social · 18/03/2026

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