Murat Yeşiltaş

Director, Foreign Policy
Assoc. Prof. Murat Yeşiltaş has completed his BA and MA at the Department of International Relations of Sakarya University, in 2003 and 2009, respectively. He earned his PhD at the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Marmara University in 2012 with the thesis titled “Locating Turkey: Geopolitical Mentality and the Army in Turkey.” Yeşiltaş was a visiting researcher at the Department of European Studies and International Politics of Lancaster University between 2008 and 2009. He was a visiting researcher at Virginia Tech’s Institute of Government and International Relations in 2010-2011. Currently, Yeşiltaş is an Assoc. Professor in the Middle East Institute at Sakarya University. He also holds the position of director of security studies at SETA Foundation, Ankara, Turkey.

Dr. Yesiltas current researches are on international security, terrorism, military studies ethnic and religious radicalization, non-state conflicts, and the Kurdish affairs. He is currently working on the following research projects The Rise of Kurdish Geopolitical Space, Border Security in the Middle East and The New Regional Security Project in the Middle East (NRSP). His recent books are Türkiye Dünyanın Neresinde? Hayali Coğrafyalar, Çarpışan Anlatılar (edit) (koç Ünivesitesi Yayınları, 2015) Jeopolitik Zihniyet ve Türkiye’de Ordu (Kadim, 2016), Non-State Military Actors in the Middle East: Geopolitics,Strategy and Ideology (edit) (Palgrave McMillan,2017)
  • Over the last decade, Türkiye’s defense industry has developed rapidly, and its products have repeatedly proven their military capabilities. The rapid defeat of the Ukrainian army against Russia was largely prevented by the TB2 drone, which has become a global brand in Türkiye’s defense industry. Similarly, in Nagorno-Karabakh, the TB2 proved to be a game-changer in favor of Azerbaijan in the conflict with Armenia. In addition to Syria, it helped Türkiye become a geopolitical player in the conflicts between northern Iraq and Libya. At this point, TB2 has shown that it is not only a military platform but also the dominant player in Türkiye’s defense market, with Baykar alone accounting for $1.7 billion (TL 54.6 billion) of Türkiye’s exports in 2023. However, the TB2 is only the most visible sign of a new era for Türkiye’s defense policy.
  • Today’s world is facing rapidly changing security dynamics and increasing geopolitical competition. This competition, which has accelerated and morphed, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic, has also created a deep security crisis following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Israel’s attacks in Gaza.
  • The Turkish aerospace and defense sector has achieved a significant milestone with the first flight of the indigenous fighter jet KAAN. The fifth-generation aircraft "reached an altitude of 8,000 feet and achieved a speed of 230 knots," according to a statement on the website of Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), the company producing KAAN. The flight lasted a total of 13 minutes.
  • Türkiye and Egypt stand at a pivotal historical moment in the evolution of their bilateral relations. Following 12 years marked by rivalry and conflict, the visit of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to Egypt has the potential to open a new chapter in Ankara-Cairo relations. This visit offers both nations the opportunity to forge a novel model of cooperative relations on numerous contentious issues. More importantly, it could herald the onset of strategic cooperation in the realms of defense and security, areas in which such collaboration was previously nonexistent. Before the joint news conference in Cairo, the two leaders signed the Joint Statement on the Restructuring of High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council Meetings, signifying both countries’ readiness to recalibrate their relations.
  • Local elections are scheduled to be held in Türkiye on March 31. Although local elections may not significantly shape the immediate future of the country, they hold the potential to trigger numerous political dynamics.