Newsletter: City Pulse Istanbul Nisantasi beyond the shop windows Also this week: Hopdaddy burgers, Ara Guler’s photographs and Istanbul’s apartment stories. By Nazlan Ertan In Izmir and Istanbul, reporting on culture
Costa Rica's Grynspan extends lead in UNSG poll as Nusseibeh places fourth The Costa Rican candidate received 12 encourage votes in Thursday's UN Security Council straw poll. United Arab Emirates
Turkey’s parliament ratifies Mecca pact in boost to Saudi Arabia Turkey will now decide the scope of military support for Saudi Arabia amid ongoing Iran-backed Houthi attacks on the kingdom. Turkey
Can Erdogan’s Baku visit fix Turkey-Azerbaijan rift? A dispute over religious dress in schools has exposed deeper tensions between the two allies, with energy, arms sales, Israel and financial interests adding to the strain. Turkey
Is Turkey's Foreign Policy Really Sunni? Mustafa Akyol writes that Turkey is pursuing an enlightened regional strategy that is not based upon sectarianism. Turkey
Turkey-Israel Tensions Set Back Turkish Energy Interests Tulin Daloglu writes that Ankara’s poor relations with Israel are hampering its energy interests in the Eastern Mediterranean. Israel
Why Now for Erdogan's Initiative With PKK? Cengiz Çandar analyzes the links between Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's initiative to negotiate with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), regional developments and the Turkish elections. Turkey
Last Hopes for 'European Turkey' Kadri Gursel analyzes Turkey's European policies, its prospects for EU membership and what this all means for the "Turkish model." Turkey
Greece Considers Exclusive Zone In Offshore Gas Fields Tulin Daloglu analyzes the consequences of Greece declaring an exclusionary zone in the eastern Mediterranean Sea's gas fields. Turkey
Turkey-US Ties 'Closer Than Ever' Says Turkish Ambassador Tan Semih Idiz writes that Ankara is pleased with the nomination of Chuck Hagel as secretary of defense and US-Turkish relations are stronger than ever, despite some friction over Turkish trade with Iran. Turkey
Armed Syrian Opposition Enables Assad's Hold on Power Tulin Daloglu reports on how the armed opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has hindered efforts for a political solution in Syria. Syria
Are All ‘Turks’ Really Turks? Mustafa Akyol considers how Turkish identity and citizenship will be defined in the next Turkish constitution. Turkey
Dealing with Ocalan Not Enough For Erdogan Kadri Gursel writes that whether the Turkish government’s intention is to stall for time with Ocalan to secure another violence-free election period or whether it is truly an intention to solve the Kurdish issue, the task of the AKP is a formidable one. Turkey
Turkey-Israel-Cyprus Triangle And Mediterranean Gas Tulin Daloglu writes that Israel’s strategic partnership with the Republic of Cyprus, including over Mediterranean gas fields, is yet another complication in Israeli-Turkish relations. Turkey
The Transformation of Ocalan Cengiz Candar writes that officials were once portraying Abdullah Ocalan as the “worst villain” and “greatest Satan,” but in the first days of 2013 Ocalan appears to have become “No. 1 partner” in efforts to resolve Turkey’s No. 1 problem. Turkey
Turkey's Guernica The Turkish military's attack on the Kurdish town of Uludere (Roboski in Turkish), in which 34 children were killed, evokes memories of the Spanish attack on the Basque town of Guernica in 1937, writes Cengiz Candar. Turkey