Culture Turkish ceramicist Leyla Borovali shapes Aegean heritage into clay Named by AD Middle East as one of 11 artists from Turkey to know, Leyla Borovali belongs to a new generation building on a ceramic tradition shaped by figures from Fureya Koral and Alev Ebuzziya Siesbye to Elif Uras. Turkey
Analysis With Hurjet test, Turkey seeks defense dominance beyond drones With export revenue from the supersonic crewed aircraft, Ankara plans to fund next-generation projects and gain strategic diplomatic and military leverage across NATO and the region. By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
Turkey and Greece's intelligence chiefs hold rare talks: What to know The meeting comes after Turkey recently warned Greece over what it called an arms race in the Eastern Mediterranean. Turkey
US sanctions Turkey-based bank over Iran ties The Treasury Department said Golden Global Bank was facilitating transactions for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran
Analysis Why Turkey welcomes Israel-Syria talks despite mounting red lines By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
Jordan Deals With Backlash From Iraq, Syria Jordanians may be becoming more xenophobic as the Hashemite Kingdom deals with pressures from Iraq and Syria. Jordan
Davutoglu Cautiously 'Not Pessimistic' On Syria Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu says US-Turkish policies on Syria are now synchronized. Syria
Turkey Puzzled by US Stance On Exxon-KRG Oil Deal Ankara questions US concerns over its arrangement with ExxonMobil for energy exploration in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Iraq
Syria’s Conflict May Already Be in Lebanon Following recent conflict in Lebanon’s Ein el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp, it is becoming ever more apparent that Syria’s conflict, as represented between Jabhat al-Nusra and Hezbollah, is already in Lebanon. Lebanon
Turkey’s Clash of Civilizations Turkey’s secular and democratic identity should not be compromised for religious orthodoxy. Turkey
Misreading The 'Syria Transition Act' In Turkey The Senate Foreign Relations Committee bill does not signal the imminent arrival of US arms to the Syria opposition. Syria
Iran’s UN Ambassador Welcomes Geneva II Conference on Syria Mohammad Khazaee, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, discusses Iran’s position on Syria in an email interview with Al-Monitor. Turkey
Turkish-Kurdish Leader Cautious, Hopeful on Peace Plan Ahmet Turk, a pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party member, draws attention to a new legislation bringing municipalities under direct tutelage of governors, and argues that is in direct contradiction to the government’s Kurdish initiative. Turkey
AKP Wages Jihad Against Alcohol in Turkey The AKP’s draft law of aggressive alcohol restrictions aims not only to engineer an Islamic society but to prevent possible losses in its conservative electoral base. Turkey
Turkey’s Syria Policy: No Easy Answers Turkey’s Syria policies were not wrong, but poorly presented. Syria
Iraq to Simplify Visa Procedures For Foreign Oil Workers The Iraqi government has announced that it will simplify entry-visa and residency-permit procedures for foreign oil workers, following complaints that the current lengthy process deters investors. Iraq
Is Gulen Movement Against Peace With PKK? The Gulen Movement in Turkey is not against the peace process with the PKK, but is not on its bandwagon either. Turkey