Explainer Bilal Erdogan, floated as father’s possible successor, visits Lebanon: What to know Bilal Erdogan, the son of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is in Lebanon for a three-day visit that will include meetings with officials and religious leaders, as well as stops in Sunni-majority cities. Lebanon
Turkey hosts Libya’s Hifter, Erdogan meets Tripoli PM as unity push gains pace Ankara is expanding ties with Libya’s eastern leadership while seeking to protect its agreements with Tripoli under a potential power-sharing arrangement. Turkey
Watchdog urges Turkey to tighten digital asset rules for $144B crypto economy A review of Turkey’s crypto-asset regulations by the Financial Stability Board acknowledged significant progress made by local authorities but called for further measures to address potential risks. Turkey
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Iran war shadows Turkey’s COP31 summit World leaders began arriving in Antalya on Wednesday to take part in the COP31 climate conference, which Turkey is hosting for the first time. By Gabrielle Debinski In New York City, reporting on the Middle East
Newsletter: FutureVerse Does Middle East have Nvidia problem? By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Rise of Islamic Front a disaster for Syria The ascendance of the Islamic Front threatens a political transition in Syria; Lebanon paralyzed by Syria conflict; Farea al-Muslimi named FP Leading Global Thinker. Saudi Arabia
US, Turkey to rethink Syria policies For starters, the United States and Turkey need to change their approaches to the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party. Saudi Arabia
Syria war brings al-Qaeda threat to Iraqi Kurdistan The Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq seeks to prevent the spillover of the war inside its borders. Iraq
Qatar resets its Syria policy Doha tilts away from regime change in Syria and opens up a channel to Hezbollah. Qatar
Latest chapter in battle over Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia The ancient aspiration of Turkish Islamism to transform Hagia Sophia from a museum to a mosque is back on the agenda. Turkey
Turkey, Saudi ties less than meet the eye Despite a shared interest in supporting opposition groups against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Riyadh and Ankara are unlikely to become allies. Saudi Arabia
Turkey, China cooperation on ballistic missiles not new Turkish defense industry insiders are dismayed with US pressure on Turkey for it reaching a deal with China, as this is not the first time they have cooperated. Turkey
Lebanon’s Tripoli microcosm for Syria conflict While Lebanon has struggled to remain neutral and uninvolved in Syria’s conflict, Tripoli has come to mirror the volatile dynamics of its larger neighbor. Lebanon
Turkey extends hand, but no apology, to Armenia Turkey is making a fresh move to normalize ties with Armenia as the clock ticks down to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide in 2015. Turkey
Demand for women-only buses in Istanbul Demands for women-only buses indicate a deeper debate about Islamization of Turkish public space. Turkey
Turkey and EU attempt to re-energize ties Despite their half-century of hot-and-cold relations, Ankara and the European Union are trying to mend fences for Turkey's EU membership bid. Turkey
Syrian FSA fades in shadow of Saudi-backed opposition front This week, the United States and the United Kingdom suspended nonlethal aid to the Syrian opposition, fearing equipment could fall into the wrong hands. Saudi Arabia