Erdogan’s plan for return of Syrian refugees unlikely to succeed

Erdogan’s new plan to encourage the voluntary return of Syrian refugees promises little success as long as fighting, militia violations and insecurity continue in Syria.

Turkey

Istanbul mayor’s PR fiasco bruises presidential ambitions

Istanbul's popular opposition mayor hit a pothole on his informal presidential campaign trail when a photograph sparked outrage and he responded, some detractors say, like an aspiring Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkey

Can Ankara-Riyadh rapprochement help improve Turkey-Egypt ties?

Although Ankara has secured several diplomatic strides by normalizing its relations with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, rapprochement with Egypt still seems a challenging prospect. 

Turkey

Analysis

Sinjar becomes latest flashpoint for Iran-Turkey tensions in Iraq  

New Pentagon IG report says that the Turkey-PKK conflict and Iranian militias are contributing to instability in Iraq.  

By Week in Review

Culture

Turkish soccer in dire straits due to economic crisis, power struggles 

Turkey’s soccer sector has hit rock bottom as power struggles as well as financial and structural difficulties set in. 

Turkey

Turkish inflation jumps from 20% to 70% in just six months

Even if monthly price increases ease to an average of 5% in the coming months, Turkey would face an annual consumer inflation of over 100% in the fall and finish the year with a rate of some 90%.

Turkey

More niceties, zero progress in third round of Turkey-Armenia peace talks

Turkey and Armenia's third round of rapprochement talks have produced little of substance as Armenians protested by in the thousands and called for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to resign.

Turkey

Bulgaria looks to Turkey for help with gas shortage

Russia has cut gas exports to Bulgaria, leaving Sofia looking to Ankara, which has some tough decisions to make.

Turkey

Erdogan unveils plans to send 1 million Syrians back as anti-refugee sentiment escalates 

As anti-refugee sentiment rises higher in Turkey during the Eid, Erdogan pledges a build-and-return project enabling more than a million Syrians to return “voluntarily” to northern Syria. 

Turkey

Yazidi militia says Iraqi army attacks linked to Turkey’s anti-PKK campaign

The Iraqi army is seeking to dislodge Yazidi fighters from Sinjar who Turkey says are members of the PKK. Thousands of Yazidi civilians are fleeing the area as clashes escalate.

Iraq

Istanbul mayor challenges AKP government on visit to Erdogan’s home province

Ekrem Imamoglu of the Republican People’s Party took his campaign to Rize on the Black Sea coast during the Eid al-Fitr holiday.

Turkey

Is Turkey behind border wall, Iraqi deployment in Sinjar?

Baghdad’s military moves in Sinjar, coinciding with a Turkish military operation in northern Iraq, and the construction of a wall along the border with Syria have rekindled fears among the local Yazidi population.

Iraqi-Kurdistan