The Art of Sidelining Intelligence
Bottom Line Up Front At some point today, the U.S. government is expected to release its assessment on the murder of U.S. resident Jamal […] More
Turkey
Iran Sanctions Back in Force
Bottom Line Up Front The most significant U.S. sanctions on Iran—aimed at Tehran’s core energy and banking sectors—went back into effect on Monday November […] More
The Continuously Changing Saudi Explanation for the Murder of Khashoggi
Bottom Line Up Front On October 19, Saudi Arabia once again changed its official response to the killing of Jamal Khashoggi from a denial […] More
The Rising Trend of State-Sponsored Assassination Attempts
Bottom Line Up Front As the details continue to emerge, the murder of Jamal Khashoggi appears to be a political assassination, potentially orchestrated by the […] More
Erdogan Positioning Turkey as the Center of the Muslim World
Bottom Line Up Front The disappearance and likely murder of Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul is the latest episode in an on-again, […] More
Why Idlib Matters
Bottom Line Up Front: On September 7, the leaders of Russia, Turkey, and Iran are scheduled to meet in Tehran to discuss the Syrian civil […] More
Future Security Relations Between U.S. and Turkey on the Brink
Iran hasn’t been the only target of U.S. sanctions in the past week. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered retaliatory sanctions again two unnamed U.S. […] More
Why Talks with the Turks Matter More Than Ever
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu is in Washington for talks with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. On the Agenda are a number of important […] More
Turkey’s Greenlight in Syria Detracts from ISIS Fight
Bottom Line: The U.S. teamed with Kurdish forces to oust ISIS from its self-declared caliphate in Syria in Iraq, but now Washington’s continued support for […] More
Turks in Afrin: How Does It End?
Turkey has had considerable military success in its two-month old campaign against the Syrian Kurdish militia in the northwest Syrian border province of Afrin, but […] More
Turkey-U.S.: How to Rekindle a Win-Win Relationship
Bottom Line: Although the U.S. and Turkey engage in robust cooperation on the political, military, and economic fronts, Ankara has experienced significant changes under the […] More
Jerusalem Embassy Move Sparks Turkey-Israel War of Words
The Trump administration’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital has exacerbated existing tensions between Turkey and Israel, only 18 months after the two countries reconciled. […] More
Visas Resume Between U.S. and Turkey After Ankara’s Promises
Limited visa services will resume between the United States and Turkey after they were halted last month following the arrest of a U.S. consulate employee […] More
Serious Consequences of Halt in Visas Between Ankara and DC
On Sunday, the U.S. embassy announced the suspension of Turkish visa applications for the U.S., stating that “recent events…have forced the United States government to […] More
Turkey and U.S. Enter Most Important Crisis in Recent Memory
On Sunday, the U.S. embassy announced the suspension of Turkish visa applications for the U.S., stating that “recent events…have forced the United States government to […] More
U.S. and Turkey Diplomatic Relations Reach Crisis Point
Relations between Turkey and the United States have hit a new low point with tit-for-tat visa suspensions after the arrest of a U.S. embassy employee. […] More
All Eyes on Baghdad’s Response to Kurdish Independence Vote
Today, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Iraq is holding a historic referendum on Kurdish independence. Kurds are widely expected to overwhelmingly vote Yes, a […] More
Leftist Secularism Faces Uncertain Future in Kurdish Rojava
Syria’s Kurds – led by the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its military arm the YPG – have received much attention for their role as […] More