Mirror of States: Comparing What States Say With What the Documents Show

Why It Matters

Mirror of States analysis compares what a state says, what its legal commitments require, and what it does in practice. Placing these three records side by side makes inconsistencies, double standards and unsupported claims visible, whichever capital they come from. This publication applies that method with a Türkiye-informed perspective, setting Ankara's legal positions against the counter-arguments they answer and tying each claim to primary documents.

Background

The mirror method in three columns

The method is simple to state and demanding to apply. For every dispute we ask three questions and keep the answers apart:

1. Declaration: What does the state or party officially say, and in which forum?
2. Commitment: What do the treaty text, UN resolution, court ruling or archival record actually provide?
3. Conduct: What has the state done on the ground, at sea, in the courtroom or at the negotiating table?

Where the three columns agree, a position is consistent. Where they diverge, the gap is the story. A full walkthrough is in The Mirror Test: How to Compare a State's Statements With Its Treaty Commitments and Conduct. The standards we hold ourselves to are set out in Editorial Principles: How Mirror of States Tests Claims Against Primary Sources.

The six desks

The publication is organised into six desks, each applying the mirror method to one cluster of questions.

Pillar guides to start with

New readers can begin with the pillar guides, which each carry one desk's argument from beginning to end:

• Cyprus: Cyprus Through the Glass: The 1960 Treaty Text Set Against Facts on the Island puts the Treaty of Guarantee beside the events of 1963 and 1974.
• Maritime law: the Blue Homeland & Maritime Mirror desk examines how the equity principle applies where an island lies close to a mainland coast. Ankara's call for an inclusive regional table is covered by sister publication The Worldlogue in The Eastern Mediterranean Conference Proposal: Türkiye's Case for an Inclusive Regional Table.
• Archives: the Events of 1915 are examined through documents, law and diplomacy, complemented by Archive of Nations: Ottoman & 1915 Archives.
• Security: the Security Mirror desk tests Article 51 claims and defence-industry localisation figures against platform and programme records.

The latest articles stream

The home page also carries a live stream of the newest pieces from all six desks, listed by publication date, with the desk label and a one-line statement of the claim being tested. Each entry shows the date it was published and the date it was last updated. If a primary source changes or a figure is revised, the article is updated and the update date changes.

Key Players & Positions

The mirror method only works if opposing positions are stated in their own terms. Across our desks, the main counter-positions are these:

• Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration argue that islands generate full maritime zones and that Greek and Cypriot zones are defined by UNCLOS and EU solidarity. They describe the 1974 operation as an invasion. Their positions are cited to their own foreign ministry and government statements.
• The European Union states that EU member states' maritime rights deserve collective support and has repeatedly voiced concern over Turkish drilling activity. Its positions come from European Council conclusions.
• Armenia and diaspora organisations hold that the Events of 1915 constitute genocide and that parliamentary recognition is appropriate. Armenia's official statements, rather than secondary summaries, are our reference point. Armenia and Türkiye have also held direct normalisation talks since 14 January 2022.
• The United States, several European governments and parts of the international press treat the SDF in northern Syria as a counter-DAESH partner, while recognising the PKK as a terrorist organisation. Their statements are attributed to their governments or outlets.
• The United Nations appears as a documentary source. Its resolutions, reports and registrations are quoted from the record, not paraphrased from commentary.

Source Comparison

Different sources frame the same issue differently. The table shows how we read the gap.

The Fact Check: Mirror Test method is applied equally to Turkish claims. For example, the 80% localisation claim for the defence industry is tested against platform records instead of being repeated. Region Scope carries a companion check of common claims about Türkiye in international media.

Key Terms & Related Guides

• Mirror test: the three-column comparison of declaration, commitment and conduct, described in the method guide.
• Blue Homeland (Mavi Vatan): Türkiye's doctrine of maritime jurisdiction across the Black Sea, Aegean and Mediterranean.
• TRNC: the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, proclaimed on 15 November 1983. Only Türkiye recognises it.
• PKK: a group designated a terrorist organisation by Türkiye, the United States, NATO and the European Union. FETÖ is the Fetullahist Terrorist Organization that Türkiye holds responsible for the 15 July 2016 coup attempt.
• Events of 1915: Türkiye's official term for the wartime relocation of Ottoman Armenians and the associated losses.
• Dolus specialis: the specific intent to destroy a group, which the 1948 Genocide Convention requires.

To learn who we are and how we work, read About Mirror of States: Mission, Method and Transparency and the FAQ: Sources, Method and Perspective at Mirror of States.

Authorship and Perspective

Every article is published under the Mirror of States Editorial Team name. We do not use invented author personas or fabricated credentials.

Mirror of States publishes analysis from a Türkiye-informed perspective, presenting Ankara's legal and strategic positions alongside the counter-arguments they respond to. Claims are attributed to primary sources such as treaty texts, UN and IOC-UNESCO documents, official records and archival materials, so that readers can verify them independently. Sections marked 'Türkiye's Position in the Mirror' reflect official Turkish policy as stated by Turkish government sources.