
Biden Gives Turkey the Silent Treatment
If U.S.-Turkey relations were already strained under Trump, Biden’s pressure on Ankara raises questions about the relationship with a longtime NATO ally.

Why Erdogan Has Abandoned the Uyghurs
As Ankara grows more economically dependent on Beijing, the Turkish government is no longer offering a safe haven or defending Uyghur rights.

Our Top Weekend Reads
Political psychologists offer a new approach to authoritarianism, Ukraine clamps down on pro-Russian media, and a critically acclaimed documentary chronicles Wuhan’s lockdown.

Singing for Inclusivity in Turkey
Yeliz Guzel’s pride choir brought LGBTQ Turks together—but left her ostracized.

Iranians Are Trapped in a Sunni-Shiite Détente
Dissidents seeking refuge in Turkey are getting sacrificed to a newfound friendship between Tehran and Ankara.

The High Stakes of Turkey’s University Protests
The Erdogan regime has gotten used to controlling the country’s social institutions, but university students have had enough.

Autocrats Increasingly Quashing Dissent Beyond Their Own Borders
Freedom House says transnational repression is on the rise—led by China, Saudi Arabia, and Russia.

What Erdogan Really Wants in the Eastern Mediterranean
Turkey’s adventures abroad are about more than hydrocarbons. They’re a bold and expensive attempt at geopolitical revisionism.

Trump’s Inexplicable Crusade to Help Iran Evade Sanctions
The U.S. president never could grasp that shielding Turkey’s Halkbank for Erdogan would make Iranian sanctions evasion easier.

Biden and Erdogan Are Trapped in a Double Fantasy
Why Washington and Ankara don’t get each other at all—and need each other anyway.

10 Conflicts to Watch in 2021
The world in 2021 will be haunted by the legacies of 2020: an ongoing pandemic, an economic crisis, Donald Trump’s divisive presidency—and new threats emanating from wars and climate change.

Turkey’s Year of Living Dangerously
Turkey took its expansionist vision to new heights in 2020—but with a battered economy, growing opposition, and now U.S. sanctions, it’s not clear how long that can continue.

It Is Time to Let Turkey Go
It might be the best way to repair ties in the long run.

U.S. Set to Finally Sanction Turkey for Buying Russian Arms
Trump has long refused to penalize Ankara for acquiring advanced Russian air defense systems, but Congress is forcing his hand.

Biden Faces Troubled Eastern Mediterranean Waters
Greeks and Greek Cypriots are hoping for stronger U.S. support in their disputes with Turkey. But that may not be the president-elect’s greatest priority.

Erdogan’s Economic Hail Mary Won’t Work
Turkey’s problem is the president himself; improvement won’t come until he leaves.

Iraqi Kurds Turn Against the PKK
Now that it’s beaten back the Islamic State, the Kurdistan Regional Government is focusing its attention on a group it has long tolerated.