Thrilled to share that I’ve just written the first sentence of my second book 😊 This one looks beyond Turkey to the broader Middle East—and explores how Trump’s policies are reshaping the region. It’ll be a challenge,blending archival digging with fast-moving current politics—but I’m excited for it.

A Bloomberg report from today confirmed this 👇

As the crackdown on the opposition deepens, the government is ramping up detentions—targeting people likely for nothing more than tweets criticizing the repression. Here are just a few:

Though many see Turkey and Russia as rivals in Africa, this map tells another story: Ankara and Moscow are forging defense ties across the continent. In Niger, Erdogan’s so-called ‘shadow army,’ SADAT, has reportedly placed mercenaries under Russian advisers. Meanwhile, Wagner-linked sources claim+

Below is my quick take about the threat the war poses to Turkey but there’s a new layer: PKK disarmament talks. PJAK, the PKK’s Iran branch, had already rejected Öcalan’s call to lay down arms. Now, the chaos in Iran could give PJAK room to grow—undermining Turkey’s push to dismantle the group.

If Trump administration targets Russia’s energy sector and pushes for a bullet-proof sanctions regime, it could be problematic for Turkey-US relations. Russian oil arrives en masse to the EU via Turkey thanks to a loophole that allows “blended” fuels into the EU if they are labeled non-Russian.

This is the kind of craziness that awaits us.

😀 The things 8-year-olds can do these days..

Surprising move by Syria’s interim authorities. Customs duties on goods brought in via Syria’s border crossings with Turkey will go up by between 300 and 500 percent starting on Saturday. The decision has caused discontent on both sides of the border.

That is sound advice for Ankara too. When Turkey jails Kurdish singers, targets Kurdish journalists, human rights activists and goes after Kurdish NGOs in the name of “fight against the PKK,” it gets harder to challenge Senator Kennedy.

Celebrations in the Turkish border town of Reyhanlı, where Syrians outnumber the Turks.

One of the men whose thirst for power paved the way for his tragic death is gone. Rest in peace Alan Kurdi. #Syria