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Kurdish talks and Caucasus corridor boost Erdogan’s standing

Erdogan gains ground through peace talks at home and new trade routes abroad.

A member of the anti-Iranian group, Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), hangs up a flag of jailed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) leader, Abdullah Ocalan, at their base deep on the Iraq-Iran border of northern Iraq's Kurdish autonomous region, on August 28, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / SAFIN HAMED        (Photo credit should read SAFIN HAMED/AFP/Getty Images)

Greetings from a mercifully cooler Ankara.

After roasting in 40+ degrees, Ankara finally cooled down to mildly survivable for us AC-less Ankarans who never needed it back when summers didn’t feel like punishment. 

While the city largely slipped into a summer siesta, the news cycle refused to nap. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan racked up some wins both at home and abroad, all while keeping the pressure on his critics. We’ve broken it all down for you below.

Wishing you a breezy weekend ⛱️🍸

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