Prof. Veysel Ayhan, a faculty member in the Department of International Relations at Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University, completed undergraduate, master’s and doctoral studies at Uludağ University. After completing postdoctoral research on the domestic and foreign policy of Lebanon at Middle East Technical University (METU) in 2007-2008, Ayhan was appointed Assistant Professor in 2009, Associate Professor in 2011 and Professor in 2016. Ayhan is the author of 10 books and more than 100 international and national publications in the field of international relations, on the Arab Spring, the Middle East, American foreign policy and EU studies, and Ayhan’s works and interviews have been published by various national and international media outlets. Internationally, Ayhan has held senior executive roles in nearly 30 national and international projects.
Report
In the Knesset election of 27 October 2026, the Netanyahu bloc failed to reach a 61-seat majority. This result, however, does not mean that the radical right has declined in Israel. Provisional results show that right-wing, religious Zionist and ultra-Orthodox parties have reached 60 seats, half of the Knesset. Lists headed…
Prof. Veysel Ayhan
Analysis
The present-day global role of the US can be regarded as a process of transition between hegemony and empire. Trump’s foreign policy priorities, however, indicate that this transition is increasingly deepening in favour of empire. This affects not only the structure of the international system but also…
Prof. Veysel Ayhan
Interview
Following the simultaneous US and Israeli attacks on Iran on 28 February, the Tehran administration did not confine the conflict to the Israeli front alone; it turned to a large-scale military strategy in the Persian Gulf directly targeting the Gulf countries. Between 28 February and 26 March, the attacks carried out on the Gulf…
Prof. Veysel Ayhan
Analysis
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has condemned the recent attacks on the Gulf countries, stating that acts targeting civilians and critical infrastructure are unacceptable. Speaking on a television programme after returning from Riyadh, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that the Gulf countries…
Prof. Veysel Ayhan
Report
While US President Trump states on the one hand that they will continue their attacks on Iran, on the other he is imposing an unconditional surrender agreement on Tehran. Iran, for its part, while responding to the attacks, has also announced that it will continue its policy of targeting, in addition to Israel, the Strait of Hormuz and American military bases…
Prof. Veysel Ayhan
Report
This study analyses the military attacks by the US and Israel on Iran in the context of the possibility of the conflict evolving into a regional war and the capacity of the Iranian regime to survive. It examines the effects on the regional and…
Prof. Veysel Ayhan
Report
On 22.06.2025, US President Donald Trump announced that American bombers had struck 3 Iranian nuclear facilities. Trump stated that the Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear facilities had been struck successfully, and threatened that, should Iran retaliate in any way against the US, it would…
Prof. Veysel Ayhan
Report
On the morning of 13 June, the Israeli Armed Forces carried out a multidimensional, high-intensity air attack against the Islamic Republic of Iran. This attack came after the decision taken by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that Iran had violated its obligations relating to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons…
Prof. Veysel Ayhan
Analysis
On 1 October 2024 Iran retaliated against Israel for the 2nd time with ballistic and hypersonic missiles. A statement issued by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said that the attack had been carried out in response to the martyrdom of Ismail Haniyeh, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Revolutionary Guards Major General Abbas Nilforoushan…
Prof. Veysel Ayhan
Analysis
In a statement during a visit to the northern settlement of Kiryat Shmona on 5 June 2024, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that they were prepared for “extremely powerful action against Lebanon”. In September 2024 Israeli forces carried out a large-scale cyber attack against Lebanon for the first time…
Prof. Veysel Ayhan
Analysis
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict, which escalated once again on 7 October 2023, has been a turning point for Saudi Arabia. Like Europe and the United States (US), as well as other countries of the Arab world, Riyadh had in recent years almost entirely disregarded the political significance of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict…
Prof. Veysel Ayhan
Analysis
Stating that Ismail Haniyeh was an important leader in the Palestinian cause, Prof. Veysel Ayhan said: “On 31 July Israel carried out an assassination attempt against Ismail Haniyeh, Head of Hamas’s Political Bureau, in Tehran, the capital of Iran. Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in the attack together with his bodyguard, was…
Prof. Veysel Ayhan
News
“We see that 6 million Syrians have left the country as a result of forced migration” Emphasising that Syria’s population was 23 million in 2011, Ayhan said: “As of today, we see that 6 million Syrians have left the country as a result of forced migration. Of these, 3 million 600 thousand have come to Türkiye…
Stay informed about our latest publications and events.
When you send the form, your e-mail address is added to the SESA newsletter list and you will receive our newsletter e-mails.