experts
Alper Coşkun
Senior Fellow, Europe Program

about


Alper Coşkun is a senior fellow within the Europe Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, DC. His research focuses on Turkish foreign policy, especially in relation to the United States and Europe. 

He is a retired career diplomat of thirty-two years with extensive experience in both bilateral and multilateral settings. He was the director general for international security affairs at the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2016-2019), covering NATO, transatlantic relations, as well as Euro-Atlantic security/defense and arms control/disarmament matters. Before that, he was ambassador to Baku, Azerbaijan (2012-2016), where he oversaw one of Türkiye’s most active and largest diplomatic missions with a wide multiagency composition. 

He has held positions within the Turkish Foreign Ministry at various levels on issues related to maritime jurisdiction affairs, counter terrorism/intelligence, and NATO/Euro-Atlantic security matters. He has served in the cabinets of both the minister of foreign affairs and the undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His foreign assignments include Turkish missions in Moscow, Athens, and the United Nations, as well as NATO, where he was the deputy permanent representative. Previously, he was a faculty member of the NATO Defense College in Rome. He is married and has two daughters.

 


All work from Alper Coşkun

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45 Results
police and EMTs standing around outside a gate
commentary
Ankara’s Surprising Offer to the Imprisoned PKK Leader

But what are the chances of its success, especially amid new terrorism threats?

· October 24, 2024
event
Türkiye, the EU, and Transatlantic Relations in a New Global Setting
October 22, 2024

In a series of four new cross-cutting studies, Carnegie scholars and affiliates examine Türkiye’s policy orientations and their impact on the United States, and by extension, the transatlantic partnership.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin meets with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states leaders' summit in Astana on July 3, 2024.
paper
Understanding Türkiye’s Entanglement With Russia

As the transatlantic allies adapt to Europe’s new geopolitical realities, maintaining unity against Russia will be critical. Türkiye will have a pivotal role to play in this long-term effort.

In The Media
in the media
Turkey’s Role in the European Defense Pillar

Calls for a more robust European defense pillar are often strong in principle but weak in detail. At NATO’s headquarters, most would consider Turkey as integral. But on EU premises , there would be little appetite to include Ankara when conceptualizing the defense of Europe.

· July 23, 2024
Geopolitical Intelligence Services
In The Media
in the media
Will the NATO Alliance Survive a Second Term of Donald Trump?

Experts opine on whether the NATO alliance can survive a second presidency of Donal Trump.

· July 9, 2024
Foreign Affairs
article
Europe’s Grand Bargain for the Twenty-First Century and its Transatlantic Implications

As the United States continues to divert its energy to respond to China’s rise, the EU could start laying the foundations of a new security architecture on the European continent.

· June 27, 2024
commentary
How Washington and Ankara Can Recover From Their Latest Setback

The postponement of Erdoğan’s Washington visit may be a missed opportunity, but the NATO Summit in July offers a chance to get back on track.

· May 9, 2024
In The Media
in the media
The Shifting Balance of Power in the Black Sea

In contrast to the deadlocked land war, Ukraine’s tactics in the Black Sea have dealt Russia humiliating defeats, with Turkey emerging as the sea’s maritime power

· February 14, 2024
GIS
commentary
Can the F-16 Deal Revive the Turkish-American Partnership?

The agreement, paired with Türkiye’s ratification of Sweden’s NATO accession, is a much-needed opportunity to put the countries’ distressed relationship back on track.

· February 12, 2024
article
Can Syrian Refugees Help Improve Türkiye-U.S. Relations? Giving UNDP’s Türkiye Compact a Chance

Not only could the policy proposal create jobs in Türkiye, including for the 3.3 million Syrian refugees there, but it could also provide a much-needed boost to Türkiye-U.S. relations through enhanced bilateral trade.

· December 5, 2023