A new era for the Turkish economy?

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s victory over the alliance of opposition parties in Turkey’s May elections, in which he secured another term as president and maintained his alliance’s majority in parliament, came as a surprise to many, as credible pollsters had forecast just the opposite. Investors had to quickly adjust their market positioning as a result. At the same time, Erdoğan was making rapid adjustments of his own, backtracking on his campaign promise that he would maintain the existing economic model, which has been a major source of financial instability over the past five years. His change was likely driven by the high likelihood of a balance of payments crisis — that is, an inability to redeem external debt or pay for imported goods. His only other options were to impose strict capital controls, a move that would be perceived negatively by both business owners and households alike or to sign a stand-by agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), a dramatic policy shift with unmeasurable domestic and external political outcomes. Not wanting to go down these paths, Erdoğan retreated from the so-called “Turkish economic model,” at least temporarily or partially, and brought in a new economic team.

Why Arabs Do Not Trust the Biden Administration

Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states apparently still do not trust the Biden Administration, largely because of its perceived abandonment of its traditional Arab allies in the Middle East and President Joe Biden’s hostility to Saudi Arabia. This view began with then-presidential candidate Biden declaring the kingdom a “pariah” state — and is continuing with US attempts, still ongoing, to revive a “nuclear deal” that will enable an expansionist Iran to have nuclear weapons potentially to topple other countries in the region.

Somalia replaces army chief amid Al Shabaab resurgence

Somalia has fired its army chief, Maj-Gen Odowa Yusuf Rage, as the country faced a resurgence of Al Shabaab attacks, months after it had raised its tempo against the militants.

Rage, 44, who had trained in Uganda and Turkey, had been the youngest army chief named in modern Somalia, having been appointed by former President Mohamed Farmaajo in 2019.

It’s Karimov Era 2.0 for Muslims in Uzbekistan

A new wave of arrests in Uzbekistan have centered on religious lectures, songs, and social media posts, calling up memories of the not-so-distant Karimov era.

On May 31, a 57-year-old woman from Navai region was sentenced to three years of restricted freedom for liking a social media post in 2018, when she was in Turkey. The video she “liked” on the Odnoklassniki.ru social media platform was a religious speech in Uzbek delivered by a person named Rafik Kamalov.

Did Kurdish PKK call off truce with Turkey to make peace or war?

Ending the ceasefire that the group announced after the earthquakes reflects the reality that Erdogan will continue in power.

The outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party announced late Tuesday that it had ended its unilateral ceasefire declared in the wake of twin earthquakes in February. The move signals a hardening of the militants’ stand, with potential repercussions for the Kurdish political movement inside Turkey and the presence of US troops in Syria.

Despite Settlements: Security Chaos in Damascus Countryside, Sources Reveal Secrets

Assad’s militia is deliberately sowing security chaos among different military factions originating from the same towns or regions, Orient Net writes.

In recent days, the governorate of Damascus countryside has experienced a resurgence of assassinations, security turmoil, and an alarming proliferation of weapons. These incidents have been occurring across different areas, resulting in the loss of lives and injuries among members of the Assad militia, its auxiliary forces, and innocent civilians. These sporadic attacks have taken place in towns such as Zakia, Beit Jinn, al-Hama, Hawsh Arab, Madaya, al-Jibbah, and other regions. These unsettling events raise concerns about the prevailing security situation and raise questions about the objectives pursued by the Assad regime in the governorate.