Middle Orient

Türkiye’s president has just won reelection, but events in northern Syria may prove more complicated than expected. The general elections in Türkiye are now over, which is likely to provide more clarity with respect to how Ankara will deal with the situation in Syria in the coming months. While some …

An impressive campaign by Hakan Fidan’s media team has made almost an entire nation worship him. I received a text message from my Persian yoga teacher asking, “Is Hakan Fidan the new [Mohammad] Mossadegh for CIA and Mossad?” I was baffled by the comparison between the head of the Turkish …

There have been several incidents involving US and Iranian naval forces in the strategic waterway in recent years, prompting the US to increase patrols. The US Navy said an American destroyer and UK Navy frigate responded to a distress call by a commercial ship pursued by fast boats belonging to …

As Turkey’s annual inflation eases further in May, eyes are on the policies the reelected president’s new economic team will pursue with Mehmet Simsek at the helm. Turkey’s year-on-year inflation dropped to 39.59% in May, official data released on Monday showed, broadly in line with expectations after the government made …

The kingdom wants to diversify its economic partnerships and values China with regards to energy and geopolitics, according to one expert. Saudi Arabia and China will participate in a business conference in Riyadh this month, expected to draw major businesses and investment firms, as the kingdom continues to pursue stronger …

The move is the latest sign of rapprochement between the two countries since reaching a China-brokered deal to resume ties. Iran will reopen its diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said, months after the two countries signed a China-brokered agreement to restore ties after a …

Fidan will come under spotlight after steadily keeping a low profile during his tenure as the nation’s youngest spymaster. Turkey’s shadowy and low-key intelligence chief Hakan Fidan is set to step into the limelight and take the helm of the country’s diplomacy after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan tapped him …

When jailed Turkish politician Selahattin Demirtas apologized for his pro-Kurdish party’s poor performance in recent Turkish elections, he did more than take responsibility. Mr. Demirtas implicitly questioned the notion that Turks vote primarily along ideological and identity lines rather than based on assessing which party will best further their economic …

The key question following the vote is whether the alliance between the HDP and the main opposition Republican People’s Party and its Table of Six partners can endure. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s electoral victory is roiling the country’s Kurdish movement, with its most popular leader declaring from jail that …

[“Supreme Guide” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei] has decided to perform what he calls “heroic flexibility” in foreign policy in the hope of focusing on a slow but steady suppression of dissent at home. In a speech last week, he said he was applying the tactic of “taqiyeh” (dissimulation), a theological concept, …