Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

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A displaced child from minority the Yazidi sect, fleeing violence from forces loyal to Islamic State in Sinjar town, carries a bottle of water as he makes his way to the Syrian border, on the outskirts of Sinjar mountain, near the Syrian border town of Elierbeh of Al-Hasakah Governorate August 10, 2014. (REUTERS/Rodi Said)

Opinion: Children do not deserve war

by Aylin Kocaman | Aug 12, 2014 | Opinion

Issa is 10 years old. His whole life has changed since the Syrian conflict began. The streets where he lives are filled with destroyed buildings. He cannot attend school. Most of his friends have died or gone. Because of the war he is now a child worker in the Free...

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Smoke billows from the Gaza Strip following an Israeli air strike on July 16, 2014 soon after Israel intensified its bombardment of Gaza, killing four children on a beach in an apparent naval salvo. (AFP Photo/Jack Guez)

Opinion: Harsh Words and the Path to Peace

by Aylin Kocaman | Aug 2, 2014 | Opinion

The Middle East is the most magnificent cradle of human civilizations in the world. It is the land of the prophets, where the heart of history beats. It is a valuable and special place. Some of the fine people of these lands have fallen under the influence of...

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A girl holds a Turkish national flag as she visits the mausoleum of Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey, in Ankara. (Reuters)

Opinion: The President Turkey Needs

by Aylin Kocaman | Jul 17, 2014 | Opinion

On August 10 Turkey will go to the polls to elect a new president. This is a first for the Turkish people. An election that parliament used to conduct in silence, in a traditional and symbolic way, now lies with the people. The presidential election will now neither...

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epa04260800 A man walks with umbrella on a rainy day on Taksim Square in Istanbul, Turkey, 16 June 2014. Reports state that Turkey’s two largest opposition parties agreedon 16 June 2014 to run Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, a diplomat and academic, as their joint candidate for the presidential election in August 2014. EPA/SEDAT SUNA

Opinion: Is ISIS now our southern neighbor?

by Aylin Kocaman | Jun 19, 2014 | Opinion

The situation in Iraq is changing by the hour. As I write this, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is on the march, and Turkish diplomats are still being held hostage by the militant organization’s fighters. It is time to look at the Iraq issue from Turkey’s...

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U.S. Vice President Joe Biden (2nd R) speaks to the media as Cypriot President and Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades (R) and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu (3rd R) look on, in the UN-controlled buffer zone splitting the island and its capital Nicosia May 22, 2014. Biden said on Thursday he was optimistic Cypriots could […]

Opinion: Why did Biden go to Cyprus?

by Aylin Kocaman | May 28, 2014 | Opinion

This question has been asked a lot this week. This is only the second time that a US vice president has visited Cyprus, after then-vice president Lyndon B. Johnson’s visit in 1962. So just what was US Vice President Joe Biden doing in Cyprus late last week? We must...