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Uganda

Bolivia

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Algeria

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Iran

Saudi Arabia

Turkey

United Arab Emirates

China

Indonesia

Malaysia

Thailand

Vietnam

Uzbekistan

Belarus

Kazakhstan

Russia

India

Politics

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

Syria

Military & Security

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

United States

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

Economics

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

The Iraqi military shot down a Turkish drone flying over the northern city of Kirkuk, Reuters reported on Aug. 29.

Iraq, Turkey: Iraq Shoots Down Turkish Drone Over Kirkuk

Qatar

Turkey and Iraq signed an agreement on military, security and counter-terrorism cooperation, Reuters reported Aug. 15. 

Turkey, Iraq: Baghdad and Ankara Sign Agreements on Military, Security and Counter-Terrorism

Burkina Faso

Togo

Al Qaeda affiliate Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, or JNIM, killed at least 12 Togolese soldiers at a military outpost near the locality of Kpekankandi in Togo's northern Savanes region, LSI Africa reported on July 21.

Togo: Al Qaeda Affiliate Launches Large-Scale Attack on Northern Military Outpost 

Niger

Energy

Niger and Turkey agreed to bolster bilateral cooperation in a range of fields including energy and defense after Nigerien junta leader Abdourahmane Tchiani welcomed a high-profile Turkish delegation, including Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yasar Guler and director of Turkey's National Intelligence Organization Ibrahim Kalin, Reuters reported on July 18.

Niger, Turkey: Governments Vow to Strengthen Defense, Energy Cooperation   

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

Assessments

Sudan

Middle East and North Africa

Bahrain

Israel

Jordan

Kuwait

Lebanon

Oman

Palestinian Territories

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.

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

Cambodia

Japan

Germany

France

Turkmenistan

Kyrgyzstan

Afghanistan

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 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.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

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

Ukraine

A graph of the ruble exchange rate against the background of the Russian flag and paper banknotes. 

A new U.S. sanctions package on Russia raises risks of secondary sanctions for financial institutions around the world, leading more companies to cut off ties to Russian entities.

With a New Sanctions Package, the U.S. Squeezes Russian Trade

Podcasts

What do organizations need to know as this relationship evolves? 

Essential Geopolitics: What to Know About the Future of Turkey-Iraq Relations

<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

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

Iraq, Turkey: Iraq Shoots Down Turkish Drone Over Kirkuk

Turkey, Iraq: Baghdad and Ankara Sign Agreements on Military, Security and Counter-Terrorism

Togo: Al Qaeda Affiliate Launches Large-Scale Attack on Northern Military Outpost

Niger, Turkey: Governments Vow to Strengthen Defense, Energy Cooperation

Forecasts

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