United States

Iran

Syria

Turkey

Military & Security

Politics

The Kurdish-led and U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces captured several Syrian government-controlled villages on the far side of the Euphrates River on Dec. 2 and called on U.S. air support in the course of their operations, according to sources on the ground, Reuters reported on Dec. 3.

Syria: SDF Joins Anti-Government Fighting Near Key Eastern City

Israel

Syrian rebel forces led by Hayat Tahir al-Sham took control of Syria's second largest city, Aleppo, multiple media outlets reported Nov. 30. 

Syria: Government Forces Crumble in Northwest as Aleppo Falls

Economics

Turkish Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek said Turkey's more orthodox economic program will continue to prioritize decreasing inflation rates, Hurriyet Daily News reported on Nov. 15.

Turkey: Finance Minister Signals Turkey Will Keep Orthodox Economic Policy

Russia

On Nov. 11-12, representatives from Russia, Turkey, Iran, Syria and the United Nations, among others, attended the 22nd meeting of the Astana Format held in Astana, Anadolu Agency reported on Nov. 12.

Russia, Iran, Turkey: Guarantor Countries Remain Committed to the Astana Format for Syria

Ethiopia

Nigeria

South Africa

Uganda

Bolivia

Brazil

Cuba

Algeria

Egypt

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

China

Indonesia

Malaysia

Thailand

Vietnam

Uzbekistan

Belarus

Kazakhstan

India

The BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, adopted its summit declaration, which noted the creation of a BRICS "partner country" status, Reuters reported on Oct. 23.

BRICS: Bloc Creates Partner Status, Extends Status to 13 Countries

Iraq

The Turkish air force conducted airstrikes on 47 targets in northern Iraq and Syria belonging to the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, and the People's Protection Units, or YPG, on Oct. 23 just hours after the PKK conducted a fatal terrorist attack on Turkish Aerospace Industries, Al Jazeera reported on Oct. 24.

Turkey: Air Force Strikes 47 Kurdish Militant Targets in Northern Iraq and Syria

Fethullah Gulen, the U.S.-based leader of Turkey's banned Islamist Hizmet movement, died on Oct. 20, according to Herkul, a website associated with the group.

Turkey, U.S.: Islamist Leader's Death Removes Thorn in U.S.-Turkish Relations

Turkey's ruling Justice and Development party, or AKP, shelved plans for a debate on an unpopular proposed tax bill to fund research and development for the defense sector, Bloomberg reported on Oct. 15. 

Turkey: Government Pauses Tax Plan To Raise Funds for Defense Industry

Assessments

Palestinian Territories

Qatar

A child tapes a stick holding a Hamas flag during a demonstration in support of Palestinian resistance in the West Bank city of Ramallah, on Jan. 12, 2024. 

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Hamas' impending expulsion from Qatar will force the group to either relocate its Politburo or disperse its senior leaders across multiple countries, either of which would carry challenges.

With Its Welcome Worn Out in Qatar, Hamas Seeks a New Home Base

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses Turkey's parliament on Oct. 1, 2024, in Ankara. 

Social Issues

Ankara's efforts could fail if the pro-Kurdish DEM Party makes extensive demands or if widespread PKK violence breaks out.

To Gain Support for Its Constitutional Reform, Turkey's Government Turns to the Kurds

Media

Graphics

Members of the Kurdish peshmerga security forces queue at a polling station to vote ahead of the Oct. 20 parliamentary election in Arbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, on Oct. 18, 2024. 

Global Elections

Following belated parliamentary elections in Iraqi Kurdistan, explore the most prominent Kurdish groups in the Middle East.

Iraqi Kurdistan's Parliamentary Elections Highlight Two Major Kurdish Groups in the Middle East

Sudan

Middle East and North Africa

Bahrain

Jordan

Kuwait

Lebanon

Oman

Yemen

The Geopolitics of Water

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Population growth, security vacuums, bad governance and climate change will increasingly strain the desert region's already scarce water supplies, raising the risk of social unrest, interstate conflict and violence from non-state actors.

The Geopolitics of Water: In the Middle East, Water Will Increasingly Become a Weapon and Driver of Conflict

Cambodia

Japan

Germany

France

Turkmenistan

Kyrgyzstan

Afghanistan

Energy

The escalating impacts of climate change and water scarcity will inflame tensions between Central Asian countries, raising the risk of violent state conflict in the coming decades. 

The Geopolitics of Water: The Looming Threat of Central Asian 'Water Wars'

Turkish and Syrian flags wave above Syria's al-Salameh border crossing with Turkey on Aug. 27, 2023. 

The two countries will take steps to restore their diplomatic and economic ties, but competing security imperatives will make full-scale normalization difficult. 

Evaluating the Prospects of Turkey-Syria Normalization

Turkish lira bills over a financial chart background.

Turkey will likely maintain its orthodox economic strategy for the next few years, but government priorities may shift as the 2028 general election approaches.

Will Political Imperatives Reverse Turkey's Tighter Monetary Policy?

Morocco

Europe

Israeli soldiers guard a barrier, silhouetted against afternoon sun.

As Gaza moves closer to a post-war reality, political limitations in Israel and competing interests abroad muddy the waters of the region's future governance.

For Israel, the Challenge of Gaza's Future Governance Deepens

A media department run by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is seen inside a mountain north of Iraq's Dohuk province in June 2013.

The offensive will seek to eliminate the threat posed by Kurdish militants near the Gara region, but fears of international backlash will deter Turkey from expanding its efforts into other areas of Iraq or Syria.

What To Make of Turkey's Renewed Offensive in Northern Iraq

Columns

On Geopolitics

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gives a press conference during the NATO Summit in Vilnius on July 12, 2023.

Erdogan's consolidation of power has made Turkish economic policies more beholden to the president's personal and political whims, and less to institutional checks and balances.

Turkey: A Case Study in Economic Policymaking Under Increased Political Centralization

Snapshots

Sunflower and wheat fields in Canakkale, Turkey, on June 25, 2024.

Extreme weather is threatening Turkey's agricultural sector, as rising costs have increased farmers' debt burdens in the absence of sufficient government aid.

In Turkey, Farmers' Debt Burdens Rise Alongside Extreme Weather Events

A map illustrating Turkey (in red) and the BRICS countries (in blue).

Joining BRICS would underscore Turkey's balancing act between the West and the Global South, but the organization's weaknesses will limit its potential for economic growth.

For Turkey, BRICS Is Far From a Political and Economic Panacea

<p>The Republic of Turkey straddles Europe and Asia, forming a land bridge that links the Levant, Iran and the Caucasus with Southeastern Europe. In stark contrast to its predecessor, the Ottoman Empire, modern Turkey is confined largely to the semi-arid, mountainous terrain of the Anatolian Peninsula and the capital-rich lands surrounding the Sea of Marmara. This low-lying region contains the large cities of Istanbul and Izmir and the two chokepoints linking the Black Sea to the Mediterranean &mdash; the Bosporus and the Dardanelles. This area is the core of Turkey&#39;s population and economy. Turkey&rsquo;s geographic challenge is expanding the economic stability and development of this core into the eastern region of the country. Anatolia&rsquo;s rugged geography and mountainous terrain make economic and infrastructure development difficult, but has historically helped to prevent land invasions from the east and south. Modern Turkey is working to integrate this largely rural, poorer hinterland into the political and economic mainstream in an attempt to link its current Islamist government to its neighbors in the broader Middle East. However, significant challenges remain. Turkey has fought a decades-long Kurdish insurgency in its southeastern regions, where the Taurus Mountains and the Eastern Anatolian plateau give sanctuary to Kurdish separatist militants. Turkey&rsquo;s position at the crossroads between East and West provides the country with several geopolitical possibilities. The country is working to serve as a transit state linking the exports of its energy-rich eastern neighbors to consumer markets in Europe. Its location also invites a series of constraints, as reflected by Turkey&rsquo;s position surrounded by Europe&rsquo;s economic decline, Iranian ambitions in Syria and Iraq, and Russian interests in the Caucasus.</p>

Turkey's Resurgence

Rebalancing Power in the Middle East

SITUATION REPORTS

Syria: SDF Joins Anti-Government Fighting Near Key Eastern City

Syria: Government Forces Crumble in Northwest as Aleppo Falls

Turkey: Finance Minister Signals Turkey Will Keep Orthodox Economic Policy

Russia, Iran, Turkey: Guarantor Countries Remain Committed to the Astana Format for Syria

BRICS: Bloc Creates Partner Status, Extends Status to 13 Countries

Turkey: Air Force Strikes 47 Kurdish Militant Targets in Northern Iraq and Syria

Turkey, U.S.: Islamist Leader's Death Removes Thorn in U.S.-Turkish Relations

Turkey: Government Pauses Tax Plan To Raise Funds for Defense Industry

Forecasts

ANALYSES

SECTIONS

Explore

Subscribe

Help & Support