Turkey

Six years ago, they were issuing threats. Today, it is all smiles and handshakes. Ankara and Cairo disagree on some things, but they are increasingly finding common ground on others.

Since the CHP defeated the ruling AKP party in the 2024 local elections, its leaders have either been deposed or imprisoned, in what its supporters call a targeted campaign

Ankara's national security priority is no longer Kurds or Gülenists, but Israel. Likewise, in Tel Aviv, Türkiye is increasingly seen as a future Israeli adversary. Both are preparing accordingly

Despite having signed an agreement to integrate into the Syrian state, its leaders attended a key security conference in Germany as a separate delegation from Damascus, in a move that unnerves Türkiye

If fighting spreads beyond the predominantly Kurdish neighbourhoods of Ashrafieh and Sheikh Maqsoud and beyond Aleppo, there is a real risk that Syria could be dragged into a new civil war

Netanyahu is once again exploiting historical grievances and fears to form alliances against "common threats"

Anatolia's foundational role in early Christianity is why it is at heart of the Catholic Church's efforts to build closer ties with the Greek Orthodox Church in Istanbul

The US wants the Kurdish-majority Syrian Democratic Forces to be integrated into the Syrian army, but needs Türkiye to be on board

The elections coulds be a watershed moment for the government in the north, its relations with Türkiye, and the wider geopolitics of the Eastern Mediterranean

Both leaders were keen to reset the troubled relationship between Washington and Ankara during their meeting at the White House