Göktuğ Sönmez
Göktuğ Sönmez received his PhD from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London and is a visiting researcher at the Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Research (ORSAM). His research areas are IR Theory, Turkish Foreign Policy, Energy Politics, and Radicalization.
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Articles by Göktuğ Sönmez
Bringing the Battle to Turkey: A Profile of Islamic State Recruiter Mustafa Dokumacı
In 2015, three terror attacks carried out by Islamic State (IS) took place in Turkey, in the cities of Diyarbakır, Suruç, Ankara, on June 5, July 20 and October 10,...
The Dangerous Implications of Raising the Kurdish Flag in Kirkuk
In recent weeks, the already complicated politics around the Iraqi city of Kirkuk have been further inflamed by the decision of Kirkuk Governor Najmaddin Karim to raise the flag of...
Making Sense of the Turkish Air Strikes on Sinjar and Karachok
On April 25, the Turkish Air Force carried out strikes on the town of Sinjar (Iraqi Kurdistan) and on targets in the Karachok Mountains (northeastern Syria, between the towns of...
A Scorecard for Turkey’s Operation Euphrates Shield
Turkey’s National Security Council announced the end of Operation Euphrates Shield on March 27, an unexpected move considering the many official statements that it was to be extended to Turkey’s...
Erdoğan’s Visit to Moscow: Background, Agenda and Beyond
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to Moscow, on March 10, unsurprisingly generated a great deal of attention (Hürriyet, March 10). Indeed the bilateral Turkish-Russian relationship has been a game...
Vying for Power in the PKK: A Profile of Senior Commander Dr. Bahoz Erdal
Fahman Hussein— a Kurdish militant more widely known by his nom de guerre, Dr. Bahoz Erdal — was born in Syria in 1969. He studied to be a veterinarian at...
Turkey’s Euphrates Shield Operation: al-Bab and Beyond
Turkish troops and Syrian rebels have claimed almost complete control of the Syrian town of al-Bab, including the town center, pushing back Islamic State (IS) fighters who have held the...
Do Turkey’s Counter-Extremism Efforts Offer Lessons for the West?
Turkey’s 900 kilometer shared border with Iraq and Syria has increasingly made it a target for terrorists in both countries. With the internationalization of the Syrian civil war, Turkey has...
Political Turmoil in KRG Risks Hindering Kurdish Efforts Against Islamic State
Kurdish Peshmerga forces in Iraq have been some of the most effective in tackling Islamic State (IS) on the ground, but the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) itself has been mired...