Longtime observers of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton—both friendly and unfriendly—will attest to her intelligence, sense of humor, and unfailing grace. So it was a few weeks ago upon her arrival in Israel that she said she was not offended by the way she was received during her visit to Egypt on July 14 and 15, saying that she only regretted “the wasted tomatoes.” The secretary of state was, of course, referring to the tomatoes that some Egyptians used to rain down on her motorcade when she arrived in Alexandria to open the new consulate in Egypt’s second city. Clinton’s quip deflected what was decidedly not an exemplar of Egyptians’ famous hospitality and downplayed the secretary’s curious visit to Egypt. Read more »

Introducing the Morsi Meter

Turkey and the  “Syria Cauldron” by Jeremy Salt Read more »

Aaron Stein is an Istanbul-based PhD Candidate at King’s College London. You can follow him on Twitter @aaronstein1.

The Arab uprisings have complicated Turkey’s approach to the Middle East. Both long before and after the dynamic events of the last 18 months began, many in the Middle East and outside the Arab world regarded Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan’s AKP as a model for emerging democracies. Buoyed by strong support in the polls, a growing economy, and a record of democratic reform, there was a consensus that Erdogan himself would be the face of a new democratic Middle East. For now, the prime minister seems to enjoy playing the role of regional demagogue, making strong promises and standing up to Israel. But can it last? Or will fundamental antagonisms lead to tension between Turkey and the region in the future? Read more »

This article was originally published here on ForeignPolicy.com on Thursday, July 19. 

“I am responsible for the stability of Egypt,” Lt. Gen. Omar Suleiman said, his voice rising as his large fist slammed on the table to accentuate the point. That was my first experience with Suleiman, then President Hosni Mubarak’s spy chief and all-seeing eye of Horus. It was the spring of 2005, and I was seated around a conference table in downtown Washington with a group of people far more senior than I. The conversation over stale bagels and bad coffee that morning  dealt mostly with the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The fist-on-table incident came at the end of the hour, when someone brought up the possibility of democratic change in Egypt — almost as an afterthought. Read more »

Cairo, Egypt

In light of Secretary Clinton’s visit to Egypt over the last few days, I thought you might be interested in my recent piece from the Cairo Review. The full article can be found here. Read more »

Religious pluralism and abortion in Turkey.

Maysaloon on the lies people tell about the Syrian revolution. Read more »

Istanbul, Turkey

What really happened to the Turkish RF-4 Phantom jet that went missing over or near Syrian airspace on June 22? That’s what some Turkish journalists and editors are asking today after analysis revealed no trace of explosives on the aircraft’s wreckage and the Turkish General Staff (TGS) released a statement indicating a change in the military’s version of events. Previously, Turkey’s top brass and civilian leadership made it clear that Syrian air defenses were to blame for the loss of the plane and the crew of two. In a subtle shift, however, the officers are now saying, “Official Syrian bodies claimed [emphasis mine] the jet was downed by themselves.” Forget the awkward wording, this is an important shift suggesting there is more to the story than just Syrian perfidy. Indeed, the RF-4 incident raises questions about civil-military relations, Turkey’s relations with NATO, and importantly, official transparency, and accountability in Ankara. Read more »

I will be traveling to, and blogging from, Istanbul and Cairo over the course of the next two weeks. Hope you all are enjoying the summer so far!

Issandr al-Amrani says Egypt’s new government can waste no more time getting down to business in solving the country’s exigent problems, after its lengthy transitional period. Read more »