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
Turkey's Egypt Question Turkey's role in the Middle East will turn on how it handles the crisis in Egypt. Egypt
Protest Aftermath Stokes Anti-Government Anger in Turkey A judicial clampdown on demonstrators and lenient treatment of deadly police conduct hardens anti-government sentiment in the wake of Turkey’s protests. Turkey
Al-Monitor’s Gursel Wins Award; Watch US House on Syria Al-Monitor’s coverage of press freedom in Turkey, the US House of Representatives on Syria, and Iraq as possible mediator on Iran; Daoud Kuttab discusses the Middle East with Fareed Zakaria. Iraq
Erdogan’s Egypt Policy In Disarray Egyptian Ambassador to Ankara Abderahman Salaheldin asks whether Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has a principled approach to the Egyptian revolutions of 2011 and 2013. Turkey
Islamists Extend Olive Branch To Turkish Atheists Despite the bitter confrontation between Turkey’s Islamists and secularists, there is a welcome sign of the country’s potential for synthesizng Islam and liberal democracy. Turkey
Erdogan’s Sinking International Prestige The more Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan lashes out at “international conspirators” as the cause of his troubles, the more his international reputation suffers. Turkey
Turkey’s Missed Opportunities With the Kurds Disarray in Turkish foreign policy is not allowing Turkey to play its rightful role in supporting Kurdish national unity. Iraq
Gezi Cleansing In Turkish Media Many journalists lost their jobs and suffered from police violence following the shifting of Prime Minister Erdogan’s hard-line reactions to media freedoms. Turkey
How Will Terror List Decision Affect EU-Hezbollah Ties? The European Union’s decision to add Hezbollah’s military wing to the list of terrorist organizations could compromise key security coordination between the two sides. Lebanon
Is the Middle East Rejecting Radicalism? The world should not miss the opportunity for stablility and progress offered by the Middle East's rejection of radicalism. Qatar
Erdogan’s Assad Problem Could Syrian President Bashar al-Assad outlast Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in office? Syria
Shooting the Arbiter in Turkey: How Sabah Fired Its Ombudsman The former ombudsman of Sabah tells his story of the firing that has shaken Turkish journalism and generated international criticism of Turkey’s approach to the media. Turkey