Circumventing every possible obstacle, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan keeps moving ahead on the path he set, cementing his rule in Turkey, as he takes every opportunity, big or small, to consolidate his legitimacy on the basis of “stability in Turkey.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Special Envoy to Syria Alexander Lavrentyev and Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin traveled to Damascus Dec. 2 to meet with President Bashar al-Assad. A read-out of the visit from the Russian Foreign Ministry said the parties discussed “the necessity to restore Syria’s territorial integrity and unity with due account of the interests of all ethnic and religious groups,” while stressing the importance of further anti-terrorism efforts. The three men also discussed humanitarian aid and progress toward writing a new constitution ahead of elections as called for by the UN Security Council.

The protests in Iraq began as a reprimand of the government for failing to provide adequate basic services, and for the rise in unemployment and corruption. Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi was forced to resign last week.

I don’t know how this period will be recorded in Turkish history, but for the sake of clarity I have decided to call it “the second trusteeship era,” or alternatively, “the second trusteeship sultanate.”

Ali Babacan, a former lieutenant in Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), said he planned to form a new political party by the end of the year to lead Turkey out of the “dark tunnel” it has entered as rights, freedoms and the rule of law have eroded under 17 years of one party’s rule.

The so-called Syrian National Army (SNA), an umbrella military command formed in early October consisting of some 80,000 fighters from Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) militias, has been accused of serious human rights violation and possible war crimes in northern Syria, including the displacement of civilians, extrajudicial killings, looting and mistreatment of Kurdish prisoners of war. The violations have been highlighted on social media as well as reporting by Western media and documentation by human rights groups. 

<p style="text-align: left;">Despite pressure from both the government and its own base, Turkey’s main pro-Kurdish party has decided against withdrawing from the parliament and local administrations in protest over its treatment.</p>

Turkey’s invasion into northern Syria has caused a demographic shift that many fear will become permanent, reports Richard Hall

The United States remains the critical player in diplomacy to ease soaring tensions between Syria and Turkey after Ankara’s incursion in a critical border area that has historically been heavily populated by Syrian Kurds, the group’s leader said.

Erdogan’s so-called “safe zone” in northern Syria will likely consolidate the identity of Syrian Kurds, which is the opposite of what he planned.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s recent comments on northern Syria may have far-reaching consequences. Before his departure for New York to participate in the UN General Assembly this week, he said: “We have to clear the region (northern Syria) from the terrorist organisations and return it to its original owners. And the original owners are mainly Arabs –up to 85 to 90 percent.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took his case for a "safe zone" in northeast Syria to the world stage this week, telling the United Nations General Assembly that as many as three million refugees could be moved to an area of the war-torn country now controlled by US-allied Kurds.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) is facing its first major loss in member registration numbers in 17 years.

Ankara and Baghdad are working toward building a new oil pipeline with the capacity to transport one million barrels per day from Iraq's Kirkuk fields to the Turkish border.

Lawyers for jailed Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtas called on Turkey’s judiciary to heed a high court ruling for his release from prison as they prepare to argue his case before a panel of international judges this week.