Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

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A protester holding a Turkish flag decorated with the image of former leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, during clashes near Taksim Square in Istanbul, late Monday, June 3, 2013. (AP Photo/Kostas Tsironis)

Erdoğan says protests “not Turkish Spring”

by Thair Abbas and Lahcen Makneaa | Jun 4, 2013 | World

Istanbul/Rabat, Asharq Al-Awsat—Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has accused “foreign” parties and “extremists” of being behind the ongoing protests in Turkey. Speaking before his departure on an official state visit to Morocco, Erdoğan told journalists:...

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Syrian protesters chant anti-President Bashar Assad slogans and wave a revolutionary flag in front of their embassy in Amman, Jordan, Friday, May 17, 2013 to condemn a May 10 massacre in Banias, Syria. (AP Photo/Mohammad Hannon)

Opinion: Syrian crisis leading towards open Turkey-Iran conflict

by Soner Cagaptay | May 26, 2013 | Debate

Soon after the rise of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in 2002, Turkey launched an ambitious foreign policy agenda to make itself a stand-alone regional leader. With this new vision, Turkey looked to cast itself as a central actor, wielding soft power to shape...

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Supporters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad burn a Syrian independence flag, which is used by the opposition, during a demonstration at the Avenue Habib Bourguiba in Tunis, April 20, 2013. Source: Reuters/Anis Mili

Opinion: Syrian crisis not leading towards open Turkey-Iran conflict

by Ahmed Lashin | May 26, 2013 | Debate

Despite the fact that the relationship between the two countries has recently become more complicated and ambiguous, the Turkish-Iranian—or if you prefer, the Ottoman-Safavid—struggle is well-rooted in history. Conflicts of interests between the two countries may have...

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File photo—Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses on April 16, 2013 members of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) at the Turkish Parliament in Ankara. (AFP PHOTO / ADEM ALTAN)

Opinion: Turkish Lessons in Cairo

by Afshin Molavi | May 1, 2013 | Opinion

Shortly after the January 25 revolution in Egypt, prominent Egyptian investor Ahmed Heikal said: “If we get things right, we could be Turkey in ten years. If we get them wrong, we could be Pakistan in 18 months.” Today, almost two years after this statement, Egypt’s...

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President Abdullah Gül (right) and Adel Al-Toriaifi, editor-in-chief of Asharq Al-Awsat (AAA)

Abdullah Gül: The View From Ankara

by Adel Al Toraifi | Apr 20, 2013 | Interviews

Ankara, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Çankaya Köşkü has been the official residence of the president of Turkey since the era of Atatürk, the founder of the modern republic. The presidential compound is comprised of a number of buildings, most famously Pembe Kösk, the iconic...