Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies
| Abbreviation | ORSAM |
|---|---|
| Motto | Providing relevant information to the general public |
| Formation | 2009 |
| Type | Public Policy Think Tank |
| Headquarters | Süleyman Nazif Sokak No: 12-B Cankaya |
| Location | |
President | Şaban Kardaş |
| Website | ORSAM Web Page |
The Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies (Turkish: Ortadoğu Stratejik Araştırmalar Merkezi, also known as ORSAM) is a non-profit, non-partisan think tank in Ankara, Turkey, founded on January 1, 2009. It seeks "to provide relevant information to the general public and to the foreign policy community".[1]
History
The Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies was established under the umbrella of Türkmeneli Cooperation and Cultural Foundation on January 1, 2009. The main sponsor of ORSAM is the Turkish Foreign Ministry. Both the Türkmeneli Cooperation and Cultural Foundation and the Turkish Foreign Ministry works closely with ORSAM.
The first president of ORSAM was Hasan Kanbolat. In February 2014, Kanbolat left his post with a controversial statement. He claimed that since the Turkish Foreign Ministry, the main sponsor of ORSAM, changed its policy towards the Middle East, he was forced to resign.[2]
Şaban Kardaş, an academic from TOBB University of Economics and Technology, was appointed as the second president of ORSAM in February 2014.
Activities
ORSAM mainly publishes reports on the Middle East with the aim of contributing "towards a healthier understanding and analysis of international politics and the Middle Eastern issues".[3] For example, ORSAM, collaborating with the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation, prepared a detailed report on the effects of Syrian refugees on Turkey in January 2015.[4]
In addition to these reports, ORSAM publications include books, bulletins, newsletters, policy briefs, conference minutes and two journals: Ortadoğu Analiz (Middle Eastern Analysis) and Ortadoğu Etütleri. Ortadoğu Etütleri is a bimonthly academic journal. Middle Eastern Analysis is a bimonthly popular journal. While Ortadoğu Etütleri publishes articles in both Turkish and English, the language of Ortadoğu Analiz is Turkish.