Analysis Water for influence: Turkey moves to ease Iraq's water shortages ahead of elections Turkey took the step in a bid to ensure that relations with Iraq's current and future leaderships remain manageable after the vote. By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
Exclusive PKK leader Ocalan appeals to Iraqi Kurdistan president for help in Turkey peace talks In a letter shared exclusively with Al-Monitor, the jailed PKK leader asks Barzani to help advance negotiations aimed at ending decades of conflict with Turkey. By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Turkey, Syria hold high-level security summit as SDF integration talks ramp up The summit comes as Turkey and Syria coordinate over the future of the Kurdish-led SDF, amid US mediation efforts to meet the year-end integration deadline with Damascus. Turkey
Turkey wants PKK leader Ocalan to sway Kurdish-led SDF on joining Syria army Ankara seeks to leverage peace talks with PKK while renewing threats against the SDF. Turkey
Iran 'concerned' by Turkish assault on northern Syria While Iran has expressed its concerns that Turkey’s operations against Kurds in northern Syria will further inflame the war, it didn't outright condemn the offensive. Turkey
Ankara might be awaiting Russian OK for Afrin operation Although Turkey keeps signaling an imminent operation against Afrin in northern Syria, it appears Moscow hasn’t yet given the green light. Syria
Iconic lawmaker's ouster a gloomy deja vu for Turkey The crackdown on the Kurdish political movement in Turkey has caught up with iconic politician Leyla Zana, who lost her parliamentary seat for the second time in 25 years. Turkey
Will Erdogan defy Russia, US over Afrin? Turkey’s plan to launch an operation to take Syria's Afrin faces major difficulties, yet if Erdogan succeeds even partially it will boost his image at home. Syria
Struggle with Sochi guest list reflects animosities over Syria As Russia seeks to overcome Turkey’s objections to Kurdish participation in the planned Sochi conference, Moscow welcomed Kurdish commanders to assure them Kurds are not being excluded. Syria
How ‘Kurdistan’ became illegal in Turkey, again The Turkey of 2013 and the Turkey of 2017 are very different places, which is why uttering the word “Kurdistan” is once again a punishable offense in the parliament. Turkey
Turkish government mum about abducted intelligence personnel Several senior Turkish intelligence officials have been in PKK hands for more than three months, but the government is refusing to share what it knows about them with the parliament. Iraq
Turkey’s problem with Syrian Kurds far from over Ankara has accepted the Russian proposal to have Kurdish participation in Syrian national reconciliation while excluding the PYD, but the latter will remain the elephant in the room. Iraq
Turkish Armed Forces seeks female fighters The Turkish military is set to recruit 8,000 women in an effort to bolster its image and defang Kurdish militias' association with female empowerment. Turkey
Turkey backtracking on 'red lines' for Syria's Kurds President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reportedly agreed to accept Kurdish participation at the Syria congress in Sochi, as long as those Kurds do not belong to the Democratic Union Party. Syria
Turkey squeezed between American hammer, Russian anvil on Syrian stage The Kurdish issue is only one of the catalysts to indicate Turkey’s weakened posture in Syria, the Middle East and the world. Syria
Sochi summit leaves Turkey facing unsavory possibilities It's unknown how far Moscow will go to appease Ankara with regard to the Syrian Kurds. Syria
