Author Archives: William Doran & Sinan Ciddi

William Doran is an intern at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Sinan Ciddi is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where he contributes to its Turkey Program  and Center on Economic and Financial Power. You can follow Sinan on X @sinanciddi.

Turkish foreign minister warns of nuclear arms race if Iran gets the bomb

| February 11, 2026

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned on February 9 that Ankara may pursue nuclear weapons if Iran acquires them, signaling a potential shift from rhetorical grievance to a conditional proliferation policy. While downplaying evidence of Iran’s weaponization and opposing US military strikes, Turkish officials continue to legitimize Tehran’s nuclear activities while framing Turkish nuclearization as a defensive necessity tied to regional “balance of power.”

Libyan parliament speaker claims maritime deal with Turkey invalid but open to renegotiation

| December 23, 2025

House of Representatives Speaker Aguila Saleh has declared the 2019 Libya-Turkey maritime agreement illegitimate, arguing that it lacked parliamentary ratification and was concluded amid Libya’s unresolved civil conflict. The deal, signed after Turkey’s military intervention on behalf of the Tripoli-based government, expanded Ankara’s maritime claims in the eastern Mediterranean and provoked sharp opposition from Greece, Egypt, and the European Union. Saleh’s call for multilateral negotiations—including Greece, Egypt, and Turkey—underscores Libya’s continued fragmentation and signals a potential challenge to Ankara’s long-term military and energy ambitions in the region.