Istanbul

The Realignment

On Iran, Biden is finishing what Obama started. And his top advisers are all on board.

Turkey Needs to Change its Policy and Rhetoric Toward Religious Minorities

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan stunned his country’s Christians and Jews by publicly using the slur “gavur” (infidel), a pejorative designation for non-Muslims, to criticize...

Iran Is More Than Persia

Ethnic Politics in the Islamic Republic

Diplomatic Arson in the Middle East

The Biden administration’s torching of U.S.-Saudi relations

Turkey’s Courtship with China Spells Trouble for Uyghurs

The deepening courtship between these two authoritarian regimes will only intensify the plight of Uyghurs in both countries.

The Return of Palestinian Politics

Elections in May will be the first since 2006—a remarkable but risky gambit.

Erdogan’s Power Plays Turn to Profit Margins

Erdogan’s Power Plays Turn to Profit Margins

The Problem With the Declassified Report on Khashoggi’s Death

It presents little new evidence and is unlikely to appease critics of Mohammed bin Salman.

Putin and Erdogan: Two Men Race to the Bottom

Russia’s and Turkey’s lack of a solid economic performance is what motivates their two leaders’ steady resorting to domestic oppression.

Russia-Turkey Pincer Movement Threatens Ecumenical Patriarchate’s Survival

It is time the West offered robust support to the Istanbul-based Patriarchate – now being squeezed by Ankara and Moscow, both of which see it as a threat to their illiberal projects.

Turkey’s Ziraat Bank Under Scrutiny

Irregularities Point to Erdoğan’s Manipulation of Financial System to Consolidate Power

Treasury Sanctions Egyptian Terrorists Harbored by Turkey

The U.S. Department of the Treasury last Thursday designated two Egyptian terrorists based in Turkey for “being leaders of HASM,” the acronym for Harakat Sawa’d Misr (Arms of Egypt Movement), which...

Yemen

Turkey

Saudi Arabia

It’s time to stop the Palestinian sports boycott of Israel

Jibril Rajoub's strategy to boycott and isolate Israel in sports had worked until this summer. But the reactions by FIFA and other bodies shows how weak his claims have always been.

The Time Is Now for Saudi Arabia To Normalize Relations With Israel

Here’s a news flash for Saudi Arabia: Presumptive President-elect Joe Biden is looking to fundamentally restructure the U.S.-Saudi relationship. The only way for Riyadh to stop what’s coming...

Curb Your Enthusiasm for an Israel-Pakistan Peace Agreement

While Pakistan has good reasons to normalize relations with Israel, domestic and geopolitical compulsions stand in the way.

Washington Can Help Free Turkey’s Highest-Profile Prisoner of Conscience

Among advocates for Turkey’s minorities, Osman Kavala is a secular saint. As a philanthropist, he has been the benefactor of initiatives to document and restore heritage sites, support arts and...

Erdoğan continues repression of Kurdish political and cultural rights

The year 2020 has been especially difficult for Turkey’s already embattled Kurdish population.  President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) continue to imprison Kurdish...