Silent Lonesome Man

I have written a previous article about Turkey and its switching affiliation between the AFC and the UEFA , given its geographical proximity. Yes, there are a lot of questions, but I guess when you wonder, the current campaign for Qatar 2022 may have provided insight. In particular, Vietnam suffered the most in this stage. You know, Turkey and Vietnam are not similar to each other. One is already recognised as a middle-sized power in European football, while one is just beginning to breathe the sky of the last round. The qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup between them is also different: Turkey belongs to the European front, while my country is Asian. Yet after seeing how the run in Asia worked after just two matchdays, one may conclude why the Turks have little optimism to join the AFC. Best seen with the situation of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying in Asia were Vietnam's games against Saudi Arabia and Australia at home already. The first match against Saudi Arabia saw th...

Third-place. Third in a FIFA World Cup. You can imagine this in Turkey after the 2002 FIFA World Cup held in South Korea and Japan. And more of irony: this is Turkey's just only second appearance. Most of the Muslim-dominated countries do have national teams that qualified for more than a World Cup, but only two appearances is a surprise. Yet Turkey achieved the unthinkable that still, no Muslim majority countries could: finishing in the last four. Ever since the Turks opted to join the European football family, the question has always lingered among the Turkish population that, should they have switched to the Asian football home instead, or stay in Europe for better football development. Many people question the same, why Turkey has little success in qualifying for more than two World Cups in spite of mad supporters? Turkey is a country with a rich history. It was conquered by the Byzantine and the Persians for various eras, then the Arab expansion before the Turks settled in Ana...

Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia - the three biggest nations in West Asia, or the Middle East, in terms of influence. The history of the three countries is complex, marred between degrees of alliance, cooperation and conflict. The trio is irritated, at least, when going after each other for interests. All three only want to reshape the borders, reclaim what they believe to be the rightful positions three nations' predecessors once got. Such development reminds me of the famous era of China's Three Kingdoms. First the warlord era, different warlords persuaded different dreams. Then, only three warlords showed their merits: Cao Cao, Liu Bei and Sun Jian. They created their own states, fighting for the unification of China before Cao Cao would end up victorious. Of course, Cao Cao would not live to see his Cao Wei empire ended shortly at the hand of the Jin dynasty, which upheld the promise of continuing Cao Cao's dream of conquest and unified China by surprise. The era was histo...

When the United States President, Joe Biden, officially announced his recognition of the Armenian Genocide, the Turkish President Erdogan has been infiltrated to his dismay. Like the majority of Turkish nationals, many are strong nationalists, he has rejected the genocide accusation. Yet in the past, only a minority of countries in the world would do this recognition, Uruguay and Cyprus spearheaded. Once the Cold War ended, however, the world shifted to a multipolar order, and the Armenian Genocide began to be remembered widespread. But the United States was, until 2019, not one of the countries that acknowledged the tragedy. With Erdogan's relationship with the West worsened, the United States had seized the opportunity. The American Congress in 2019 made a shocking move, officially denounced the Ottoman massacre of Armenians in 1915 as a genocide. The news from Washington D.C. delivered to the world with surprise because the United States never tried to recognise this before. Erd...

When Israeli military and Palestinian militants clashed over the decision by the Israeli court to evict six Arab families from Jerusalem, little expected it would escalate into a full-blown conflict, with Israeli military now tries to flatten entire Gaza strip in accusation of the Hamas militants firing rockets to the country. Usually, Israel's actions would always receive condemnations from the majority of Muslim world. This time, no exception. But one country, once being Israel's strongest ally in the Islamic world, has now instead only expressed reservation. This was Azerbaijan, the Caucasus Shiite Muslim nation bordering Russia and Iran. The country's strange silence is abnormal because, in the past, Azerbaijan played an even more active role: it mediated between Israel and the Muslim nations; being one of only a few Muslim-majority states to not condemn Israel. So what happened? Israel and Azerbaijan have a unique relationship that made Azerbaijan the best Muslim ally ...

The United States officially recognised the Armenian Genocide in 2019, when Congress issued state recognition of the mass atrocities against Armenians by the Ottoman Empire in World War I. The effort was rebuffed by then-President Donald Trump, who has a harmonious relationship with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, but when Trump lost in the 2020 election, Joe Biden officially broke out from the predecessors and finally stated the same on April 24, 2021. Armenians are certainly happy, while Turkish and Azerbaijani nationalists are definitely dissatisfied with what they just saw. Unfortunately for the United States, the recognition could be a reckless move, since the recognition may have also unravelled how the alliance between the West to Turkey is moving spiral backwards. And this can be even more menacing for Washington D.C. because their recognition of the genocide might leave Turkey to project its ambitions independently and clashing with even NATO, EU and in general Western world, leave alon...

Ever since the Euromaidan and tensions increased between Ukraine and Russia, Kyiv has sought to become a prominent player within Europe, by trying to join NATO and EU. But while France and Germany have become more reluctant to accept Ukraine into the EU, due to the unwanted Brexit that saw the United Kingdom left the group, joining NATO maybe even more problematic because NATO also has members who share veto powers. One of them is Turkey, as Kyiv has been seeking to cultivate a friendlier alliance. Now, with U.S. President Joe Biden going to address the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, this can become a problem for Kyiv. Pro-Turkish and anti-Armenian views Ukraine has been at the spotlight when the Euromaidan when Ukrainians joined the protest demanding the pro-Russian President, Viktor Yanukovych, to leave power. The Maidan lasted for a year before it successfully toppled the President, forcing him to flee to Russia. The first death in the Maidan was a Ukrainian national of Armen...

I have a quite strange feeling about European leaders nowadays, especially within the EU. There is always something that is hidden among them. They don't speak out, but they appeared to be. Yes, I'm talking about the leadership of the European Union and its associates. There's something not right on it. I sense this since 2010s, something has changed. Guess? Am I talking about the increasing right-wing natures? Am I talking about the traditional left-wing groups? Or Russian intelligence in these nations? No. It's more than that. It's about manipulation. And Europe is unprepared to face this round. Russia is quietly conducting agenda, covert and cautious, but with solid results. Poland Poland has to be the biggest shock for the European leadership today. Because just only nearly two decades ago, Poland joined the European Union and was seen with the highest potential. The deterioration was unbelievable because Poland was once a leading front nation fighting against a...

On 19 April 2005, in the capital city of Poland, Warsaw, the Polish Sejm (Lower House), officially passed a solution. This solution was abnormal because it laid a historic and important ground for not just Poland's political stance, but also it greatly affected Poland's relations with another country that historically been one of Poland's biggest protectors. Yes, on that night, a cool night in the Polish capital, the Polish Sejm Marshal, Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz, issued an official recognition. And this, by the moment, Turkey started to change. This move by the Polish government triggered widespread nationwide criticism in Turkey. And more. On 19 April 2005, Poland officially became the 17th country, to recognise the Armenian Genocide. And this is also when Turkey will never be the same again. A complicated tie Turkey and Poland have unique relations with each other. In the past, the Ottoman Empire clashed frequently with the Commonwealth of Poland and Lithuania. The Polish-...