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 Saudi Arabia Holding Up The Geneva II Conference on Syria? While Turkey may be shifting its Syria policy in response to domestic and international pressure, Saudi Arabia appears to be digging in to oppose the trend toward a diplomatic solution. Saudi Arabia
Turkey Prefers Stalemate With Israel David Ignatius of The Washington Post reported on Oct. 16 that Turkey leaked to Iran the identities of 10 Iranians working for the Mossad. Turkey
Saudi Arabia Deepens Its Isolation The kingdom’s rejection of UN Security Council seat does not convey more proactive foreign policy. Legacy: Gulf
Who's Out to Get Turkey’s Spymaster? The pressure on Turkish Intelligence head Hakan Fidan may be a sign of concern over a shift in Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s policies toward Syria and Iran. Israel
Israeli-Turkish Ties Sink to New Low The revelation that the head of Turkish Intelligence may have blown the cover of Israeli agents has deepened the crisis in US-Turkey relations. Israel
Radical Groups Operate On Turkey’s Border Turkey is increasingly identified as a country facilitating radical forces in Syria, and thereby isolated among its allies. Syria
The Roots of Radicalism In Political Islam Sunni and Shiite fundamentalists have both sought to return to their own ideal version of history while rejecting modernity. Turkey
Turkey’s Islamic Liberals The liberal voices among Turkey's conservatives, many of them women, will be the bellwethers of social change. Turkey
Is Turkey Digging a Hole With Its Syria policy? Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is also the enemy of Salafists fighting the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Syria
The EU's Mixed Report on Turkey The chill between the EU and Turkey continues as the annual progress report by the EU Commission attempts to keep a delicate balance between criticism and encouragement. Turkey
Erdogan Provides Eid Allowance To Journalist A reporter asks, and receives, an eid allowance from Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey