Süleyman Seyfi Öğün All daily Yeni Şafak Columns

Süleyman Seyfi Öğün

102 columns listing

State-sponsored terrorism...

19 Eylül 2024, Perşembe

In the history of states, revolts and uprisings hold a significant place. This can be well explained by the center-periphery theory. States are organized, centralized institutions, and in their world, everything is considered peripheral. In the Ottoman Empire, the concept of the periphery carried both geopolitical and cultural meanings, representing a form of state exclusion both geographically and politically. The central-peripheral dialectic primarily involves the state taking surplus from the

East Mediterranean and the Caucasus

09 Eylül 2024, Pazartesi

It is now widely understood that in this century, and in those to come, the world's new center of gravity will be Afro-Eurasia. The Mediterranean, especially its eastern part, is one of the key regions at the heart of this dynamic. Recently, significant natural resources have been discovered in the Eastern Mediterranean, a development that has attracted attention not only from the neighboring countries but also from major global players. Western, Asian, and Eurasian energy companies, along with

On Kursk…

18 Ağustos 2024, Pazar

The Russia-Ukraine war will be remembered in the future as a hybrid conflict that shows how the nature of war has transformed. Some authorities refer to it as the Fourth Generation War. It’s truly unusual. This is a shadowy war where the real sides are both present and absent. Those who look deeper suggest that this conflict is actually a manifestation of the US-China struggle for global dominance. One of these actors, the US, is partially visible on the ground through its financial and military

Notes on Decaying Olympism

29 Temmuz 2024, Pazartesi

We have been observing a tradition passed down from ancient Greeks to the modern world for years. The ancient Greek civilization mainly consisted of small city-states. These city-states, benefiting from the wealth accumulated in the Eastern Mediterranean, shared a common language and ethnicity but refused to share their riches or form a political union. There was constant competition, tension, and warfare among these cities, each with its own political traditions. Eventually, these Greek city-states

The implications of the Iranian elections

30 Haziran 2024, Pazar

Our neighbor Iran held the first round of presidential elections. It must be noted from the outset that the outcome is quite thought-provoking. None of the candidates managed to surpass the 50% threshold. Consequently, the two candidates who received the most votes advanced to the second round. What stood out was that the candidate with the highest number of votes was Masoud Pezeshkian. Known for his critical distance from the regime's practices, Pezeshkian is characterized as a reformist figure.

What happened at the G7 Summit?

18 Haziran 2024, Salı

We know that there are several channels designed to maintain accountability among the triad of the state, capital, and nation. Two of these channels are particularly dominant: democracy and the rule of law. These principles function to balance the three components, placing the nation, often the weakest and most fragile, at the center to support it against the overwhelming power of the other two. Within this framework, the nation can be assessed both individually and class-wise. Different ideologies

The shadow cast over international law

27 Mayıs 2024, Pazartesi

In the modern world, it is anticipated that political actions (by those in power) will be checked not only by opposing political forces but perhaps even more so by the law. This is what we mean by the rule of law or a legal state. On a national level, significant progress has been made in this regard; the principle of legal oversight as a measure of political legitimacy has become well-established. So much so that a state's reputation on the international stage is often weighed on this scale. However,

Wars and economies...

16 Mayıs 2024, Perşembe

The dismissal of Shoygu and the appointment of the economist Beluosov in Russia should be considered a significant development. This indicates Russia's belief that the Ukraine war will not end in the near future and will gradually escalate and expand. It suggests that Russia has decided to structurally transform its entire economy in preparation for a larger confrontation. Throughout world history, partial and local wars have been fought based on capacities prepared for possible wars. Often, ceasefires,

Neocon Europe...

06 Mayıs 2024, Pazartesi

The Nixon era in U.S. political history marks a significant turning point. This shift not only affects the United States but also has a global impact on developments. The tension between the United States and the Soviet Union, which intensified between 1945 and 1960 and brought the world to the brink of total destruction, began to be alleviated from this point on through the establishment of mutual dialogue mechanisms and the signing of numerous agreements. The elimination of McCarthyism and Stalinism

Is history repeating itself?

29 Mart 2024, Cuma

"Should development start from villages or cities?"; "Is the pen mightier than the sword?"... Do these headlines ring a bell for you? They are quite familiar debate topics. I wonder if they still continue, if they are still part of the curriculum. These kinds of debates used to happen in middle schools, high schools, wherever deemed appropriate. One of them is the topic of "Does history repeat itself, or does it change?" Of course, defending the first claim has always been difficult. When this topic