While Ankara’s relations with the West have soured in recent years, its relations with Moscow have come to a more stable footing. Nonetheless, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine may cause Turkey to reassess its adversarial approach to old Western partners.

The Romanian Business Exchange organized on September 23rd 2021, at Radisson Blu Bucharest, the 5th edition of the Diplomacy360 International Conference. The theme of this edition was “Security and Prosperity at the Black Sea”.

The multitude and diversity of the new military conflicts that have captured the international scene in recent years have produced strong reverberations over the way the coordinated response of the International Organizations has been built. In an unstable geopolitical context, with increasingly strong and visible tensions in the international arena, the sources and the root causes of mercenaries and mercenary-related activities proved a turning point, lending new meanings to violating human rights.

From the Editor

Within the last three weeks, a series of decisions by leading Western powers seem to indicate a downgrading of Ukraine on the scale of Western policy priorities. These decisions risk demotivating Ukrainian reform efforts and eroding Western credibility in Ukraine.

The partnership between Moscow and Beijing has broadened and significantly strengthened during the past decade. President Vladimir Putin and President Xi Jinping support forecasts of closer relations.

Developing a full-fledged US-Ukraine strategic partnership under the Biden administration would presuppose continuity with those policies on military assistance and energy security. It also presupposes Washington’s return to mentoring and supporting Ukraine in the diplomatic negotiations aimed at ending Russia’s occupation of Ukrainian territories.

During the First World War, the Ottomans clearly made a fatal error by choosing an alliance with Germany. Could that error have been avoided if proper use had been made of the information available in 1914? First, we examine the military leadership, manpower, infrastructure, equipment, and naval capabilities of the Ottomans at the moment of decision. Next, is a review of the army’s actual performance in several different military theaters. The final portion of the paper will be an assessment of the Ottoman’s strategic position at the outbreak of WWI using a DIME (diplomatic, intelligence, military, and economic) methodology.

The beginning of a new chapter in Egypt-Turkey relations could also pave the way for changes in the wider region.