Seyfi Taşhan is a Turkish

political analyst Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

thought leader A thought leader has been described as an individual or firm recognized as an authority in a specific field and also as business jargon. Meanings Go-to expert From the perspective of a thought leader as the 'go-to expert', being a thought leader ...

, and

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...

. He is the founder and the Director of

Foreign Policy Institute The Foreign Policy Institute ( tr, Dış Politika Enstitüsü or ''DPE'') is a Turkish think tank on foreign policy and international relations. It was founded in 1974. The Foreign Policy Institute is the first ever Think Tank formed in Turkey ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

's first political think-tank. On April 9, 2015, speaking at an honorary ceremony in honor of Tashan,

Turkish Foreign Minister This is a list of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Turkey. List The position of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Turkey was established in 1920, during the Turkish War of Independence. List of ministers of foreign affairs by time in office ...

Mevlut Cavusoglu referred to Tashan as "a guru in Turkish diplomacy, serving more than 40 years as the president of the Foreign Policy Institute and being a guiding light to the ministry as well." Tashan's impact on Turkey's outlook from the international perspective played an important role, especially in the Council of Europe.

Early life

Tashan was born in Ankara in 1925. He received his education at Ankara University, Faculty of Letters, graduating in 1947.

Career

In 1945 he entered Government Service at the State Organization for Press, Radio, Information and Tourism where he served until 1955 as an international affairs analyst. In 1950 he founded the Foreign Broadcast Services of Turkish Radios and from 1953 to 1955 he served as assistant to the Director in charge of information activities. He received experience and training in France (1951) and the USA (1953). In 1954 he accompanied President Celal Bayar during his visit to the US as Information Assistant and Interpreter. In 1971 he started publishing the Foreign Policy Review as a quarterly journal of international affairs. In 1974 with several academics he founded the

hat he still directs. In this capacity he attended international conferences, organized many national and international seminars and published extensively in Turkish Foreign Policy and international affairs. He lectured in many countries on Turkey and Turkish Foreign Policy. Tashan is a member of Turkish associations and foundations; include Kocatepe Rotary Club, Turkish Foundation for International Relations and Strategic Studies, Cyprus Foundations, and abroad member of

IISS The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) is a British research institute or think tank in the area of international affairs. Since 1997, its headquarters have been Arundel House in London, England. The 2017 Global Go To Think ...

(London), member of the Board of Advisors Center for European Policy Studies (Brussels), member of the Middle East Advisory Board of Center Security and International Studies (Washington D.C.), member of the academic board of Association for 2000 (Den Haag), alumni member of East-West Institute(New York), member of Mediterranean Study Commission (Rome) and member of

Le Cercle Le Cercle is a secretive, invitation-only foreign policy forum. Its focus has been opposing communism and, in the 1970s and 1980s, supporting apartheid when the group had intimate ties with and funding from South Africa. The group was described b ...

(London). As the Director of Foreign Policy Institute, Tashan attended international meetings including the

Bilderberg Group The Bilderberg meeting (also known as the Bilderberg Group) is an annual off-the-record conference established in 1954 to foster dialogue between Europe and North America. The group's agenda, originally to prevent another world war, is now defi ...

Recognition

In 1989 he received the distinguished service citation by the Minister of Foreign Affairs. In 2014 he was given pro-Merit for his previous services in Council of Europe. In 2015 he was given an award by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for his continued services. That year he was awarded by Middle East Technical University in Ankara for his contribution to international studies. In 2016 the Council for International Studies of several universities of İstanbul and İzmir awarded him as the founder of the Foreign Policy Institute.

Personal life

Seyfi Tashan is the father of Turkish Ambassador to

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

Aylin Tashan, and the uncle of businesswoman Pembe Candaner.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tashan, Seyfi 1925 births Ankara University Faculty of Political Sciences alumni Turkish radio people Living people People from Ankara Turkish publishers (people)