Policy Briefs
Culture’s Role in Navigating Technological Change: The KT4D perspective on recent developments in European AI policy
The policy brief published by KT4D suggests that examining culture allows for a deeper understanding of societal responses to AI development. Rather than applying only the current proposed risk assessment framework which greatly underestimates...
ADMM and ADMM-Plus 2024: ASEAN’s Blueprint for a Secure and Resilient Region
Introduction The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has long been recognized as a cornerstone of regional security and cooperation in Southeast Asia. Amidst a rapidly evolving global order marked by geopolitical rivalries,...
Israel-Hezbollah Conflict: A Fragile Balance on the Brink of Regional War
Executive Summary The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has entered a dangerous new phase, raising the possibility of a regional war in the Middle East. This escalation, rooted in longstanding regional power struggles, has been...
Crossroads of Power: Navigating the 2024 US Election’s Impact on Transatlantic Relations
Crossroads of Power: Navigating the 2024 US Election's Impact on Transatlantic Relations by Ilaria Gallo April 09, 2024 | 17 min read 1. Introduction 2024 takes on an influential character as the electoral process is underway in more than 80 nations, including the US,...
Unveiling the Chessboard: Macron’s Gambit, NATO’s Dilemma, and Putin’s Warning Amidst the Ukraine Crisis
Unveiling the Chessboard: Macron’s Gambit, NATO’s Dilemma, and Putin’s Warning Amidst the Ukraine Crisis by Laura Scotto di Clemente March 19, 2024 | 12 min read 1. Macron’s controversial stance on Western troop deployment to Ukraine: a closer look and its...
Latest Gaza War to Reshuffle Cards in the Middle East
Background On October 7, 2023, in the next day of the 50th anniversary of the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, the world woke to the news of another terrorist attack where militants of Hamas and Islamic Jihad infiltrated borders around Gaza from land, air and sea to seize...
Two Major Earthquakes Hit Türkiye and Syria – An Evaluation of Crisis Management Efforts
Two Major Earthquakes Hit Türkiye and SyriaAn Evaluation of Crisis Management Efforts by Onur Sultan* and Jannis Figura** February 21, 2023| 17 min read 1. Introduction On February 6, 2023, a series of earthquakes struck southern Türkiye and northern...
An assessment of the European microchip industry and its expansion strategy
Abstract The microchip industry will probably grow from $575 billion in 2022 into a trillion-dollar industry by 2030. The main obstacles are limited production capacity and unstable production chains. Europe’s strengths in the microchip industry are the presence of...
US-China Relations: Adrift Between Conflict and Tianxia
US-China Relations: Adrift Between Conflict and Tianxia by Mats Radeck[i], Fatih Civrillioglu[ii] October 18, 2022 | 8 min read Introduction On August 2, 2022, Nancy Pelosi visited the island of Taiwan (officially the Republic of China) to underscore America’s...
The Implications of Nord Stream-1 Explosion within the Context of the EU Green Deal
The Implications of Nord Stream-1 Explosion within the Context of the EU Green Deal by İlyas Gülenç October 18, 2022 | 8 min read Introduction The latest sabotage attacks damaging the Nord Stream-1 pipeline, which carries one-third of the imported natural gas...
The New Global Order in the Making
The New Global Order in the MakingGeopolitics Task Force Brief by Onur Sultan[i], Mats Radeck[ii], Jeremy Alan Garlick[iii], Olena Snigyr[iv], Charles Joseph Sullivan[v] October 5, 2022 | 10 min read Background On August 29, 2022, the Ukrainian military...
Iran: The Beginning of a Feminist Revolution
Iran: The Beginning of a Feminist Revolution by Mats Radeck[i] and Avin Khodakarim[ii] October 5, 2022 | 10 min read For about four weeks, the people of Iran have been taking to the streets and were met by the extraordinary force of the Islamic regime. Often,...
Reception crisis’ for asylum seekers in Belgium and the Netherlands: What does it tell us?
Reception crisis’ for asylum seekers in Belgium and the Netherlands: What does it tell us? by Fatih Yilmaz, Director of Projects and Partnerships and Mert Serhan Arslan, Research Assistant October 5, 2022 | 13 min read Introduction Belgium and the Netherlands...
The integration challenges of Ukrainian refugees in the Netherlands: What’s next?
THE INTEGRATION CHALLENGES OF UKRAINIAN REFUGEES IN THE NETHERLANDS: WHAT’S NEXT? by Kubra Tasbas, Research Intern September 01, 2022| 11 min read Introduction This policy brief analyses the rapid reaction of the Dutch government regarding the influx of refugees from...
Green or Brown Future for The World: Geopolitical Dimensions of The Eu Green Deal
Green or Brown Future for The World: Geopolitical Dimensions of The Eu Green Deal by İlyas Gülenç* June 24, 2022 | 13 min read Rising energy prices, ongoing negative impacts of the pandemic, and dependence on Russian natural gas have created a harsh political...
Analysis of The Sunken Russian Cruiser Moskva, Its Implications for Russia and Lessons for the World Navies
ANALYSIS OF THE SUNKEN RUSSIAN CRUISER MOSKVA, ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR RUSSIA AND LESSONS FOR THE WORLD NAVIES by Furkan AKAR April 28, 2022| 15 min read 1. BACKGROUND On 13 April, the Ukrainian governor for the Odesa region, Maksym Marchenko, said on his Telegram...
China’s Options in the Ukraine War: Bandwagoning with Russia or Being a Real Mediator
China’s Options in the Ukraine War: Bandwagoning with Russia or Being a Real Mediator by Tom Peeters April 15, 2022 | 12 min read Introduction Fukayama described the end of the Cold War as the completion of the ideological evolution of humanity and claimed...
Rapid Response for Facilitating Ukrainian Refugees’ Orientation and Labour Market Integration in Flanders
Rapid Response for Facilitating Ukrainian Refugees’ Orientation and Labour Market Integration in Flanders (1) by Fatih Yılmaz (2), Samet Coban (3) April 07, 2022 | 14 min read Ukrainian refugees arrived in Belgium (Source: Belga)1. Background The Russian...
Russian Invasion of Ukraine, China and Towards a New Global Order
Russian Invasion of Ukraine, China and Towards a New Global Order by Ibrahim Genc[1], Tuba Yalinkilic[2], Yunus Erbas[3] March 11, 2022| 13 min read Background In the Beijing Winter Olympic opening ceremony on February 4, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin and...
The EU’s Alternative to China’s BRI: Global Gateway Project
The EU’s Alternative to China’s BRI: Global Gateway Project by Yunus Erbas February 24, 2022| 13 min read Introduction Nearly one decade has passed since Chinese President Xi Jinping first made his announcement of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), originally called...
Can the US Dropping its Support from the EastMed Pipeline Change the Calculus of the Game in the Eastern Mediterranean?
Can the US Dropping its Support from the EastMed Pipeline Change the Calculus of the Game in the Eastern Mediterranean? by Furkan AKAR, Saban YUKSEL February 10, 2022| 10 min read Background The US notified Greece regarding its decision to withdraw the support from...
Escalation over Ukraine in face of Russian Demands for an Uncontested Sphere of Influence in Former Soviet Space
Escalation over Ukraine in face of Russian Demands for an Uncontested Sphere of Influence in Former Soviet Space Geopolitics Task Force Brief by Samet Coban(1), Hasan Suzen(2), Olena Snigyr(3), Onur Sultan(4), Saban Yuksel(5) January 20, 2022 | 17 min read Background...
Making Sense of the Recent Unrest in Kazakhstan
Geopolitics Task Force Brief by Samet Coban(1), Victoria Clement(2), Hasan Suzen(3), Charles J. Sullivan(4), Saban Yuksel(5), Robert M. Cutler(6), and Onur Sultan(7) January 12, 2022| 12 min read Background On January 2 (Sunday), a spike in liquified petroleum gas...
The Current Challenges of Lebanon and Repercussions for the Region*
1. Background October 17, 2019: revolution was sparked in the streets of Beirut, leading to protests in numerous other cities. Citizens demanded the resignation of the administration led by Prime Minister Saad Al Hariri. They also demanded the resignation of the...
Invisible Costs: Gender-based Violence and the Environment
Executive Summary Environmental issues, among which climate change, are not universal or neutral experiences: the impacts are differentiated along with dynamics of inequalities. Women are disproportionately affected by the impacts of...
Hybrid Intelligence in Decision Support and a Use Case: Predictive Crisis Management
1. BACKGROUND a. Recent EU Norms and Regulations The Commission has been promoting and improving AI cooperation across the EU for years to improve productivity and ensure confidence based on EU values. Following the publication of the European Strategy on AI in 2018...
Too Late Too Little: An Assessment on the Current State of Play in Libya
In the last couple of weeks, things in Libya are moving so slowly. There is no significant development on the political, economic, diplomatic or military front. Libya’s interim Government, the Government of National Unity (GNU), is not making any progress in preparing...
The EU’s Permanent Structured Cooperation: a new motor for transatlantic relations?
Executive Summary The European The European Union’s Permanent and Structured Cooperation (PESCO) understandably captures the attention of policymakers and experts due to the engagements member states committed to and the consequences for the EU’s defence architecture...
Israel – Hamas Fight Has Potential to Spiral into a Wider Conflict
Background In the week between May 1 and May 7, Palestinians started protesting against an incoming Israeli Supreme Court decision, expected to evict six Palestinian refugee families residing in Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in East Jerusalem. The move framed by...
The US – Jordan Defense Cooperation Agreement*
1. Background: The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi on 21 March announced that Jordan made a defence agreement with the United States that allows free entry of US forces, aircraft, and vehicles onto the kingdom’s territory. The...
Not Like in the Old Days: The Iran Nuclear Deal After the US Elections and Its Implications for the MENA Region
MENA Policy Brief No:8 by Furkan Akar, Hasan Suzen, Ibrahim Jouhari, Nour Aldahabreh, Onur Sultan, Ramazan Turkmen, Saban Yuksel APRIL13, 2021 | 14 min read Background On May 8, 2018, the Trump administration withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action...
The Current State of Play in Libya
MENA Policy Brief No:7 The Current State of Play in Libya: The Repercussions of the New-Elected Interim Government for the Libyan Peace by Erman Atak, Furkan Akar, Hasan Suzen, Ibrahim Jouhari, Saban Yuksel FEBRUARY 19, 2021 | 11 min read Background - On 5th of...
The Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline for Peace-building in the South Caucasus
1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Key Points: The EU should emphasise the three main successful points of its bilateral cooperation with the countries in the South Caucasus region: energy, security and transportation. This includes construction and extension of the Trans-Caspian...
The Implications of Designation of Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation?*
by Joseph Votel[1],Baraa Shiban[2] , R.David Harden[3], Onur Sultan[4] JANUARY 12, 2021 | 5 min read Background On November 16, 2020, a report in the Foreign Policy disclosed the Trump administration was planning to designate Ansarallah, the Iran-backed Houthi...
The Arab Spring After Ten Years: Drawing the Balance Sheet in Egypt, Libya, Syria, and Yemen
MENA Policy Brief No:6 by Emre Bilgin, Erman Atak, Furkan Akar, Hasan Suzen, Ibrahim Jouhari, Onur Sultan, Saban Yuksel JANUARY 18, 2021 | 18 min read Background Ten years passed since Mohamed Bouazizi, a 26-year-old street vendor, set himself on fire in...
NATO-Turkey Relations in a Turbulent Environment: The Military Dimension of NATO-Turkey Relations
NATO-Turkey Relations Policy Brief-Beyond the Horizon ISSG by Samet Coban*, Furkan Akar** DECEMBER 2020 | 12 min read For understanding NATO-Turkey relations: "…You can just look at the map." NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg [1] 1. Background: Changing...
The New Balance of Power in the Mediterranean: The Current Geopolitical Landscape
MENA Task Force Brief by Emre Bilgin, Erman Atak, Furkan Akar, Hasan Suzen, Ibrahim Jouhari, Onur Sultan, Ramazan Turkmen, Saban YUKSEL DECEMBER 09, 2020 | 12 min read Background Discoveries of new energy resources in the Mediterranean started a scramble for...
How will Biden Presidency shape US Policy towards the MENA Region?
MENA Task Force Brief by Emre Bilgin, Erman Atak, Furkan Akar, Hasan Suzen, Ibrahim Jouhari, Onur Sultan, Samet Coban, Zafer Kizilkaya NOVEMBER 10, 2020 | 12 min read Background On November 3, Americans judged the presidency of Donald Trump, who is an outlier...
Between Rock and a Hard Place – French Vision of Radicalisation and an Alternative Perspective
Introduction During his speech on the fight against separatism on October 2, 2020, the French President Emmanuel Macron said: “Islam is a religion which is in crisis today everywhere in the world” (L'Élysée, 2020)[1]. For support to his argument, the President made a...
The Ceasefire in Libya: Its Implications for the Region?
MENA Task Force Brief by Emre Bilgin, Erman Atak, Furkan Akar, Hasan Suzen, Ibrahim Jouhari, Onur Sultan NOVEMBER 2, 2020| 14 min read Background On October 23, the UN has announced that military representatives of Libya’s warring parties agreed on a permanent...
The End to the UN Sanctions on Iran – What Will Be the Repercussions?
MENA Task Force Brief by Ibrahim Jouhari, Emre Bilgin, Onur Sultan, Furkan Akar, Hasan Suzen OCTOBER 23, 2020| 14 min read Background On May 8, 2018, the US President Donald Trump, announced the US unilaterally withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action...
The UAE-Israel Normalization – What Does It Exactly Mean?
MENA Task Force Brief by Ibrahim Jouhari, Emre Bilgin, Zafer Kizilkaya, Erman Atak, Onur Sultan, Furkan Akar, Hasan Suzen OCTOBER 16, 2020| 9 min read Background On June 19, UAE-affiliated Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces wrested control of the Socotra...
