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
Will Syria War Mean End of Sykes-Picot? There is speculation that the Syria war could signal a change in long-standing borders. Near East
Morsi Is Not Arab World’s Mandela In response to Tawakul Karman's recent article in Foreign Policy, Bassem Sabry and Hani Sabra write that Mohammed Morsi is no Nelson Mandela. Egypt
Are Gul, Erdogan Playing 'Good Cop, Bad Cop' With Egypt? It appears Turkey’s president and prime minister are playing a "good cop, bad cop" routine on Egypt, but their differences are real. Turkey
Pardon My Turkish: Battle for 'Halal' Words Being politically correct takes another unexpected turn in Turkey as a new vocabulary permeates the social scene, further deepening political fault lines. Turkey
Turkey’s Syrian Kurdish Gamble: A Double Edged Sword Turkey’s efforts to contain Syrian Kurdish autonomy while pursuing peace with its own Kurds could backfire. Syria
Turkish Fans Ponder Football Without Freedom The Turkish government fears political dissent will find its way to football games, so one major club takes controversial measures to prevent it. Turkey
Russia’s Course in Syria Unchanged Al-Monitor’s coverage of US and Russian policies toward Syria; the protests in Egypt; and the return of reformist and Islamic chic in Iran. Egypt
Turkish Pilots Abducted At Gunpoint in Beirut Two Turkish Airlines pilots were kidnapped in Beirut early Friday, Aug. 9, to put pressure on the Turkish government to help release nine Shiite Lebanese hostages in Syria since May 2012. Lebanon
Erdogan Looks West Given Ankara’s misadventures in the Middle East, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s best option to fulfill his vision of a democratic Turkey is to pivot to the West. Turkey
Control, Halt, Delete: Gulf States Crack Down on Online Critics The Gulf states’ heavy-handed response to online criticism was entirely predictable and shows no signs of abating. Legacy: Gulf
Controversial Turkish Surgeon Odd Man Out in Ergenekon Trial A famous surgeon’s unexpected release in the Ergenekon trial deepens Turkey’s political fault lines. Turkey
Erdogan Prepares to Face Post-Ramadan Challenges Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be walking on eggshells after Ramadan to balance the popular reaction to the Ergenekon verdicts and Kurdish demands to advance the negotiation process. Turkey