Watchdog urges Turkey to tighten digital asset rules for $144B crypto economy A review of Turkey’s crypto-asset regulations by the Financial Stability Board acknowledged significant progress made by local authorities but called for further measures to address potential risks. Turkey
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Iran war shadows Turkey’s COP31 summit World leaders began arriving in Antalya on Wednesday to take part in the COP31 climate conference, which Turkey is hosting for the first time. By Gabrielle Debinski In New York City, reporting on the Middle East
Turkey’s banking watchdog chief submits resignation amid fund scandal Turkey’s government is facing growing criticism over regulators’ failure to prevent a fund scandal involving more than $20 billion. Turkey
Explainer Iran war pushes up coal use, complicating Turkey’s COP31 pledge Turkey is asking world leaders at COP31 to back a global push to use more electricity, even as the Iran war has driven up natural gas prices and pushed some power producers back to coal. Turkey
Newsletter: FutureVerse Does Middle East have Nvidia problem? By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Analysis Will Democrats block Trump’s push to deliver Turkey F-35s, lift sanctions? By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
Turkey faces 'geography’s revenge' in Crimea Turkey’s strategic environment has become even more complicated following the Russian annexation of Crimea. Turkey
The war on Twitter, the blowback from Ukraine Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan follows through on his threat to shut down Twitter, as Saudi Arabia and Qatar also crack down on social media; US-Russia collaboration on Syria and Iran is so far holding on, despite tensions over Ukraine. Legacy: Gulf
Erdogan’s great patriotic war A recent video produced by the Justice and Development Party reveals an intense nationalistic vibe. Turkey
Saudi Arabia cracks down on Twitter The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has turned its attention to political dissent on Twitter. Legacy: Gulf
Look for more assertive Russia in Middle East Unless there is a de-escalation of the crisis over Crimea, the Obama administration could expect to deal with a Russian president more willing to challenge US interests in the Middle East. Palestine
US-Russia confrontation could drift to Mideast The question is whether Iran, Egypt, or Saudi Arabia, in particular, will change their policies in the context of the US-Russia standoff. Saudi Arabia
Gul rebuts Erdogan’s international conspiracy claims Turkish President Abdullah Gul supports an open and transparent investigation into allegations of corruption, saying, “There must be no suspicions left with regard to corruption.” Turkey
Israel sets new red lines with Syria The Israeli government prefers that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces keep the Golan quiet, while making clear it will not tolerate any game-changing weapons transfers to Hezbollah. Israel
Turkey also a loser in Crimea No matter how hard Turkey tries to be the guardian of Crimean Tatars, there isn’t much it can do after the Crimean vote to join Russia. Turkey
What does the fall of Yabrud mean for Lebanon? After the Syrian regime regained control of the rebel-held town of Yabrud this past weekend, some in Lebanon fear that the influx of extremist militants means more terrorist attacks inside the country. Lebanon
AKP-Gulen strife worsens ahead of March 30 elections While the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) may fear losing votes in upcoming local elections, the government can retaliate with its own legal campaign against the Gulen movement. Turkey
Iraqi Kurds fear fallout from Erdogan-Gulen conflict Some Iraqi Kurds are worried that the potential fall of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan might result in a reversal of good relations between Erbil and Ankara. Iraq