Explainer Bilal Erdogan, floated as father’s possible successor, visits Lebanon: What to know Bilal Erdogan, the son of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is in Lebanon for a three-day visit that will include meetings with officials and religious leaders, as well as stops in Sunni-majority cities. Lebanon
Turkey hosts Libya’s Hifter, Erdogan meets Tripoli PM as unity push gains pace Ankara is expanding ties with Libya’s eastern leadership while seeking to protect its agreements with Tripoli under a potential power-sharing arrangement. Turkey
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
Newsletter: FutureVerse Does Middle East have Nvidia problem? By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
What Did Turkey Lose When EU Lost Nabucco? Turkey has lost an opportunity to redefine the implicit rules of the energy sector for itself and other transit countries. Turkey
It's the Egyptian Identity, Stupid The first Egyptian revolution was about freedom, justice and dignity, but the new wave of protests is about defending Egyptian identity. Egypt
Will Sheikh Tamim Rebalance Qatar’s Foreign Policy? In the first article of a two-part series, Qatar’s new emir will likely follow his father's course, but Qatar’s may be forced to adjust its approach to international affairs. Qatar
Turkey's Political Fallout On Iraqi Kurdish Crude Relying upon Ankara as a sole energy transit route without an agreement with Baghdad may further delay the Kurdistan Region’s energy production potential. Iraq
Turkey’s Kurdish Peace Process On a Knife’s Edge The killing of a Kurdish protester by Turkish security forces has heightened fears that the fragile peace between the government and the PKK may be coming to an end. Turkey
Turkish Kurds Find Common Ground With Protesters A visit to Turkey’s Kurdish southeast reveals common ground between the Gezi Park protesters and Turkish Kurds. Turkey
Turkish Media a Casualty Of Erdogan’s Policies Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's policies have eroded the credibility of Turkey's mainstream media. Turkey
AKP May Have Gotten Message From Gezi Park The Justice and Development Party (AKP) may be coming around to the notion that participatory, not majoritarian, democracy is the answer for Turkey. Turkey
New Syrian Institution Helps US Deliver Humanitarian Aid A senior US aid official tasked with coordinating humanitarian assistance to Syria says he is “all for” prolonging the Syria war if it leads to a “democratic Syria.” Syria
Can Erdogan Keep PKK Peace Process on Track? The Kurdistan Workers Party attempted to showcase its force in Sirnak’s Cizre province on Sunday, June 23, creating concern that the PKK is violating the negotiation parameters. Turkey
Iraq: Iran’s Economic Gateway To the World Amid strict international sanctions, Iranian exports are increasingly flowing into Iraqi markets as one of its few remaining lifelines in the region and around the world. Iraq