For Turkey, no news from Mosul is good news A Turkish court's ban on reporting about events in Mosul, purportedly to protect the hostages taken from the Turkish consulate, has raised even more questions about Turkey’s approach to the crisis. By Cengiz Candar
Morsi an issue in Turkey's presidential campaign Surprise presidential candidate Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu comes with an even more surprising political baggage. By Pinar Tremblay
Iran, world powers may start drafting nuclear accord The United States and Iran participated in both bilateral and trilateral meetings during the nuclear talks in Vienna. By Laura Rozen
Congressional Democrats question US airstrikes in Iraq President Barack Obama intends to meet House and Senate leaders of both parties on Wednesday to discuss options. By Julian Pecquet
Erdogan gets surprise presidential rival Academic Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the opposition’s joint candidate for Turkey’s presidential elections, has the potential to change the game. By Kadri Gürsel
Kidnappings put Netanyahu back on offense The abduction of teenagers in the Hebron region puts an end to Netanyahu’s political hard times, and, without a dominant defense minister such as Ehud Barak at his side, he is seen, even by the left, as a balanced authority on matters of security and leadership. By Mazal Mualem In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics
African Union set to restore Egypt’s membership President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is about to score his first foreign policy victory with the expected restoration of Egypt’s African Union membership at this month’s African summit in Malabo. By Ayah Aman In Cairo, reporting on politics and culture
Turkey's finance minister avoids politics, sticks to economy The visit of Turkish Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek to Lebanon aimed at building economic ties and avoiding more controversial foreign policy matters. By Sami Nader
We can read your emails, says Iran’s intelligence minister Iran's intelligence minister has said that in the effort to fight terror, his ministry has access to the electronic communications of individuals suspected of links to terrorists. By Arash Karami
Turkey rethinking sectarian approach to region ISIS advances in Iraq have finally forced a Turkish reassessment of its regional policies. By Semih Idiz
Turkey: ISIS magnifies Iraq's Sunni crisis According to the Turkish Foreign Ministry’s assessment, the advance of ISIS in Iraq is driven in part by the legitimate demands of marginalized Sunni communities. By Rasim Ozan Kutahyali
Turkey avoids claims of 'hostage' crisis in Iraq The Turkish government is trying to downplay the ISIS detention of diplomats in Mosul. By Orhan Kemal Cengiz
FIFA to monitor Israeli violations against Palestinian soccer The international soccer federation has not sanctioned Israel for its violations against Palestinian soccer, instead giving a committee until December to monitor developments. By Asmaa al-Ghoul
Libya’s 'friends' desert failed state Three years after Libya’s liberation, the country barely exists. By Mustafa Fetouri
What's new in Egypt's new Cabinet Nabil Fahmy is out as foreign minister, the major change in Egypt's new government. By H.A. Hellyer
Israel collectively punishes Palestinians for kidnapping The Israelis have slapped travel bans on many Palestinians in the West Bank in response to the June 12 kidnapping of three teenagers. By Daoud Kuttab In Amman, reporting on Palestinian politics