Assoc. Prof. Pınar Sayan

Armenia held parliamentary elections on June 7, 2026, in which Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his Civil Contract party secured another electoral victory. The elections took place at a time of...

IstanPol

IstanPol’s research titled “Perceptions and Attitudes towards NATO” is based on interviews conducted with 1,773 respondents living in 21 provinces and 57 districts across Türki...

co-edited by Alissa Pavia & Riccardo Gasco

The NATO Summit in Ankara comes at a moment of strategic recalibration for the Alliance. More than four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, NATO’s agenda is no longer defi...

IstanPol, in collaboration with Beykoz University, held a closed roundtable on July 2, 2026, titled “NATO’s Southern Flank: The Middle East, Transatlantic Relations, and Türkiye&rsquo...

Riccardo Gasco, Dr. Seren Selvin Korkmaz, Dr. Edgar Sar

This article draws on the discussions held at the 22nd edition of IstanPol Foreign Policy Talks , organized in partnership with Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Türkiye under the title “Recalibrati...

The 22nd Foreign Policy Talks series, which brings together experts, researchers, academics, diplomats, and policymakers to discuss current foreign policy issues, was held in person by IstanPol in pa...

Riccardo Gasco & Dr. Federico Donelli

The weaponization of economic interdependence has made supply chains the primary arena of geopolitical competition. China's deliberate consolidation of critical mineral processing capacity — con...

The 21st Foreign Policy Talks series, which brings together experts, researchers, academics, and journalists to discuss current foreign policy issues, was held online by IstanPol  on March 10, 2...

Seren Selvin Korkmaz & Riccardo Gasco

The killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in joint U.S.–Israeli strikes on February 28 did more than decapitate a 47-year-long regime. It accelerated a regional recalibration that...

The 20th Foreign Policy Talks  series, which brings together experts, researchers, academics, and journalists to discuss current foreign policy issues, was held online by IstanPol  ...

Riccardo Gasco

For Türkiye, the European Union’s (EU) accelerating trade diplomacy is no longer a distant story about Brussels’ external agenda. It is a direct stress test of Ankara’s structur...

edited by Riccardo Gasco

In 2025, Turkish foreign policy unfolded in a context marked by heightened strategic centrality and persistent political constraints. Rather than a year of radical shifts, it was one of consolidation,...

Riccardo Gasco, Seren Selvin Korkmaz, Dr. Edgar Şar

EU–Türkiye relations are entering a new phase defined by constrained pragmatism rather than political ambition. Russia’s war in Ukraine, instability across the Middle East, and the un...

Riccardo Gasco

Europe’s security order is being rapidly redrawn. The combination of Russia’s long-term threat, the erosion of the transatlantic safety net, and the urgency to rearm has pushed the Europea...

The 19th Foreign Policy Talks series, which brings together experts, researchers, academics, and journalists to discuss current foreign policy issues, was held online by IstanPol on November 18, 20...

edited by Ayşe Yürekli

At a time when Europe faces overlapping geopolitical, economic, and societal challenges, revitalizing the relationship between the European Union and Türkiye is not a matter of wishful thinking b...

Riccardo Gasco

Europe’s defense landscape is being redrawn in real time. The shock of the Ukraine war, the return of great-power rivalry, and doubts over U.S. commitment have pushed European states to rearm an...

The 18th Foreign Policy Talks series, which brings together experts, researchers, academics, and journalists to discuss current foreign policy issues, was held online by IstanPol on September 16, 2...

Prof. Dr. Özlem Tür

This analysis looks at the regional dynamics before and after the 12-Day War between Israel and Iran and analyzes the opportunities and challenges the War has presented for Türkiye. It argues tha...

IstanPol

The research titled “Changing Power Dynamics in the Middle East and Perceptions of Turkish Foreign Policy”  is based on a survey with 2,000 individuals across 21 provinces and 5...

The 17th installment of the Foreign Policy Talks , a series of closed roundtable meetings organized by IstanPol to bring together experts, researchers, academics, and journalists to discuss curren...

edited by Riccardo Gasco

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has triggered a profound geopolitical shift, prompting European governments to reassess their security architectures, both at the national level and within broader f...

The 16th installment of the Foreign Policy Talks , a series of closed roundtable meetings organized by IstanPol to bring together experts, researchers, academics, and journalists to discuss curren...

Ayşe Yürekli

Germany’s snap federal elections on 23 February have set the stage for significant political shifts that will shape both domestic and foreign policy, especially as the new Trump administration c...

The Istanbul Political Research Institute (IstanPol) organized the first edition of IstanPol Insight Exchange series with a focus the Developments in Syria and Turkey-Syria Relations on March 6, 2025....

The 15th installment of the Foreign Policy Talks , a series of closed roundtable meetings organized by IstanPol to bring together experts, researchers, academics, and journalists to discuss current f...

The year 2024 was marked by a series of critical and consequential developments that reshaped Türkiye’s role on both the regional and global stages. The year began with Ankara’s ratif...

The 14th installment of the Foreign Policy Talks , a series of closed roundtable meetings organized by IstanPol to bring together experts, researchers, academics, and journalists to discuss current ...

Dr. Selin Nasi

Trump’s return to the White House will have profound implications not only for the future of American politics but also for the liberal democratic order—or what remains of it. Over the nex...

The 13th installment of the Foreign Policy Talks , a series of closed roundtable meetings organized by IstanPol to bring together experts, researchers, academics, and journalists to discuss current ...

Dr. Dimitar Bechev

Following U.S. presidential elections, Türkiye will exploit its role as a powerbroker in the Russia-Ukraine war. Ankara believes it could facilitate de-escalation which will help it assert its ro...

Dr. Ömer Taşpınar

The following analysis focuses on U.S. election's impact on Turkish-American relations. Independent of who the winner of the 2024 presidential election in the United States is, Turkish-American relati...

Dr. Cihan Dizdaroğlu, Dr. Pınar Sayan

As Turkey’s foreign policy preferences have increasingly been an important part of the national and international agenda, the "Main Conflicts in Turkey's Foreign Policy" report was prepared for ...

Dr. Pınar Sayan, Dr. Cihan Dizdaroğlu

The ‘Approaches to and Perceptions of Foreign Policy in Turkey’ research project is led by the Foreign Policy team at Istanbul Political Research Institute (IstanPol). Within the scope of ...

The research in Approaches to and Perceptions of Foreign Policy in Turkey” aims to analyze the overall approach of different voter groups towards foreign policy, and their opinions about the wea...

Dr. Pınar Sayan, Edgar Şar

The research in Approaches to and Perceptions of Foreign Policy in Turkey” aims to analyze the overall approach of different voter groups towards foreign policy, and their opinions about the wea...

Dr. Cihan Dizdaroğlu

The issue of Turkish-Greek relations once more came to the forefront following the most recent developments including Greece’s newly signed defence agreements, Turkey’s request to acquire ...

Prof. Dr. Evren Balta

To date, the AKP’s foreign policy framework has evolved through three distinct phases: the phase of liberal internationalism characterized by a commitment to the EU and multilateralism (2002&nda...

Edit Zgut

The post-Cold war age, in particular, the Euroatlantic integration and the multiple crises of the European Union provided fertile ground for the rise of populism both in the East and the West. Researc...

Dr. Louis Fishman

For years, Turkey’s relations with Israel have been stalled. During Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s last 12 years in power (2009-2021), the relationship has continued to hit lower and ...

Dr. Cihan Dizdaroğlu, Dr. Pınar Sayan

Changing aspects of Turkish foreign policy have long attracted both national and international attention. Some of the most significant developments include the standstill in Turkey’s accession t...

Dr. Gönül Tol

After having held off sanctioning Turkey for the purchase of the Russian S-400 missile defense system for more than a year, President Donald Trump had a change of heart. On his way out of office, Trum...

Galip Dalay

The Middle East’s preparation for the Joe Biden presidency is in full gear. Saudi Arabia is patching up relations with Qatar to de-escalate tension in the Gulf. Israel, in seeking to shut the wi...

Güney Yıldız

The valid expectation is that when Joe Biden becomes the 46th President of the United States, he will undo most of the damage done by President Trump and will revitalise the institutions of the Wester...

Dr. Dimitar Bechev

US President Donald Trump’s four years at the White House have been a blessing for Turkey. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan squeezed out one concession after the other from his counterpart...

Karel Valansi

U.S. President Donald Trump claims his peace plan for Israel and Palestine conflict will prove to be the ultimate deal. In this policy note, Karel Valansi discusses the main arguments of Trump's Plan;...

Dr. Pınar Sayan

In this policy note, Dr. Pınar Sayan discusses the new regional order in Caucuses after the ceasefire deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia brokered by Russia. (The policy note is available only in T...

Beatriz Godoy Rivas, Laura Batalla Adam

In 2015, as the Syrian Civil War carried on with its destruction of people’s livelihoods, thousands of Syrians who had fled the country into neighboring Turkey began their treacherous journey to...

Dr. Cihan Dizdaroğlu

Turkish Cypriots are preparing to elect their fifth president – the next community leader – to guide the peace negotiations. The presidential election in the Turkish Republic of Northern C...

Dr. Pınar Sayan

The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres called for a global ceasefire on March 23 due to the COVID-19 pandemic as the pandemic poses a serious risk for conflict zones...