Cengiz Candar

Cengiz Candar is a columnist for Al-Monitor's Turkey Pulse. A journalist since 1976, he is the author of seven books in the Turkish language, mainly on Middle East issues. He is also the author of Turkey's Mission Impossible, War and Peace with the Kurds (Lexington, 2020). Currently, he is a Distinguished Visiting Scholar at Stockholm University Institute for Turkish Studies (SUITS) and a Senior Associate Fellow at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs (UI). On Twitter: @cengizcandar

Turkey | Jul 1, 2022

Many Swedes unsettled by NATO deal with Turkey

The Swedish government has come under fire for its concessions to Turkey in return for Ankara’s support for Sweden’s NATO membership, and the angst among Swedes of Kurdish origin is palpable.

Turkey | Jun 22, 2022

How Turkey's opposition to Sweden, Finland joining NATO could backfire

It seems Turkey will continue to block Finland and Sweden’s memberships at the upcoming NATO summit, but Ankara is now signaling its lack of interest in strengthening the alliance.

Turkey | May 24, 2022

Turkey's NATO obstinance threatens more than Nordic membership

From the vantage point of the West, giving in to Ankara’s demands from Finland and Sweden amounts to letting an autocrat design the security architecture of Europe.

Turkey | Apr 22, 2022

Will Erdogan sustain balance between West, Russia as Ukraine war drags on?

If the West and NATO remain united during the long war in Ukraine, Turkey’s policy of straddling between Kyiv and Moscow would be unsustainable.

Turkey | Mar 16, 2022

Turkey’s pro-Western policy reversal reveals Erdogan’s dilemma

Turkey's position over the Russian invasion of Ukraine has resonated as a pro-Western shift in Ankara’s foreign policy, but Erdogan needs to go the extra mile.

President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkey | Feb 23, 2022

Ukraine crisis exposes Turkey’s limits

The Ukraine crisis has exposed Ankara’s limits on foreign policy, yet Turkey’s President Erdogan can still score points from rapprochement with the UAE and Israel.

Ukrainian servicemen patrol in the settlement of Troitske in the Lugansk region near the front line with Russia-backed separatists on Feb. 22, 2022, a day after Russia recognised east Ukraine's separatist republics and ordered the Russian army to send troops there as "peacekeepers".

Turkey | Jan 12, 2022

Kazakhstan crisis challenges Turkey's leadership of Turkic union

The unrest rattling Kazakhstan has reflected the irrelevance of Turkey and the Organization of Turkic States chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.