Middle Orient

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, …

Recep Tayyip Erdogan has become the longest-serving leader in the history of the Turkish Republic. He has been a controversial yet dominant figure in Turkish politics since 2003 holding various positions including prime minister and president. In the runoff election held on May 15, neither Erdogan nor his opponent, Kemal …

The Arab League meeting earlier this month was one of the more interesting in the last couple of decades, mostly due to the host, Saudi Arabia, using it for messaging the West, particularly on Israel and Syria. More recently, Riyadh has engaged in new diplomatic moves towards Canada, a country …

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s win on 28 May extends his rule until 2028. Shortly after securing another term, which may have been his biggest political challenge, he addressed hundreds of thousands of people outside the presidential palace in Ankara. Erdogan announced that “the only winner today is Turkey” and …

The Middle East is experiencing a remarkable spate of diplomacy, de-escalation, and normalization. This started with the Abraham Accords between Israel and four Arab countries in 2020, the ending of the intra-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) crisis in 2021, and the revival of GCC-Turkey relations, and has extended to the Saudi-Iranian …

The Middle East is undergoing a historic transformation with unprecedented opportunities to build new relationships, de-escalate tensions, and foster conditions for stronger integration. At the same time, the region remains on edge because of ongoing tensions in Yemen, Syria, Iraq, and other conflict zones, a civil war that broke out …