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Erdogan returns emptyhanded from talks with Putin, Raisi

Erdogan fails to enlist Russian and Iranian support for a fresh Turkish military operation in Syria, but he remains bent on maintaining the pressure. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan returned without any concrete results from talks with his Russian and Iranian counterparts in Tehran, to which he went with a …

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Israel assesses Nasrallah’s next move amid escalation on northern border

Jerusalem is concerned that internal pressures in Lebanon on Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah could be translated into more violence against Israel. Since the surprise eruption of the 2006 Second Lebanon War, Israel has invested a major effort in trying to read Hezbollaz leader Hassan Nasrallah and understand the way he …

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Turkey and Sudan: An enduring relationship?

Sudan has a longstanding strategic partnership with Turkey, forged on the basis of shared ideology and fostered by growing economic and political ties, that has proven resilient to regime change. Khartoum has not abandoned its relationship with Ankara despite the ouster of former President Omar al-Bashir in 2019 or the …

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Egypt as an Eastern Mediterranean power in the age of energy transition

On June 17, the European Union (EU) signed a memorandum of understanding with both Egypt and Israel that creates a framework for Israel to expand its natural gas exports to Europe via Egypt. The EU also agreed with Egypt to increase collaboration on renewable energy, hydrogen, energy efficiency, and the …

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Biden’s Middle East Trip: What It Means And What’s Next

The main objective of President Joe Biden’s trip to the Middle East last week was to signal to both partners and adversaries that the United States was serious about restoring its strategic position in the region, which has taken considerable hits in recent years. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the visit …

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As Turkey’s economic woes worsen, a new currency crisis is approaching

Turkey’s economic problems continue to go from bad to worse. Its foreign trade deficit has reached a monthly average of $8 billion this year. Amid the sharp rise in global energy prices this spring following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the country’s average gross energy imports shot up from $3-4 billion …

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US sends more rocket systems and tactical drones to Ukraine in new $270 million military aid package

President Joe Biden on Friday approved a new $270 million military aid package that will send Ukraine additional rocket systems, ammunition and tactical drones to help that country’s troops combat invading Russian forces, defense officials said Friday. The aid will include four High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems and accompanying ammunition, …

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Threats, Instability and Disruption in Europe’s South

Russia’s intervention in Syria in September 2016 turned out to have much broader objectives. The development of air and naval bases provided Moscow with platforms for operations in the Mediterranean and in Sub-Saharan Africa. The delivery of S-400 missile systems to Turkey added another major strategic gain. The European Union …

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Erdogan returns emptyhanded from talks with Putin, Raisi

Erdogan fails to enlist Russian and Iranian support for a fresh Turkish military operation in Syria, but he remains bent on maintaining the pressure. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan returned without any concrete results from talks with his Russian and Iranian counterparts in Tehran, to which he went with a …

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Russia, Ukraine finally reach agreement to sign separate grain deals in Istanbul

The skeptics, this author included, were proven wrong. Turkey, and yes, the UN, got Russia and Ukraine to sign a critical deal in Istanbul that would help stave off a global food crisis as we put this newsletter to bed. Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutteres …

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