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  • Are we seeing the start of Turkey’s economic turnaround?

    “We believe that the monetary policy tightening ..., the unwinding of distortive financial regulations and the fiscal revenue measures to curtail the fiscal deficit being pursued by the Ministry of Finance are steps in the right direction,” said Humberto Lopez, World Bank country director for Turkey. Inflation remains high at 58.9%, and the tax hikes disproportionately hit the poor, as Adam Lucente reports, but there are signs of a path to recovery.

  • $100 Oil? What a Price Spike Could Mean for the Global Economy

    Brent crude oil was trading on Wednesday morning at around $90 a barrel for the second straight day, and is up 25 percent since June thanks to the prospect of more production cuts by leading oil exporters. The surge is sending ripples through the global stock and bond markets. And the prospect of higher prices at the pump and throughout manufacturing may spur diplomatic efforts to increase supply and tamp down any inflationary effects on the global economy.

  • Opinion: Is the US taking off the gloves in the Middle East, or is it all for show?

    On the diplomatic front, the U.S. took a conciliatory turn, brokering a prisoner swap deal with Iran and releasing billions in frozen assets. A deal that does not help rehabilitate America’s weakening projection of power. Militarily, the U.S. has amplified its naval presence in the Arabian Gulf and the Red Sea. An additional 3,000 troops now safeguard maritime traffic. Additionally, accumulative information suggests that a U.S.-controlled buffer zone along the Iraq-Syria border has become a real action plan.

  • $100 Oil? What a Price Spike Could Mean for the Global Economy

    For the Biden administration, “the only thing they can pretty much do to counteract Saudi cuts is to bring more oil into the market from other countries,” León said. “Iran and Venezuela are the best candidates,” he added, even if it’s politically unpalatable to fully reopen talks with them.

  • Iran’s Strategic Pivot to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation: A Calculated Move?

    The SCO, primarily an economic and security pact, has been on Iran's radar since the early 2000s. Yet, it's only under the 13th administration that this aspiration has come to fruition. But what does this membership truly entail for Iran, and how might it leverage the SCO to rejuvenate its beleaguered economy?

  • What are the best leagues in the world? Top 30 ranked including MLS and Saudi Pro League

    The top 30 leagues in world football have been ranked by Opta Power Rankings and it makes for some very interesting results. You probably won't be too surprised to see the Premier League lead the way with the English top-flight pulling away from their rival European competitions due to their vast riches. That dominance has been seen in European competitions in recent years. In five of the last six seasons, there has been an English side competing in the Champions League final with three English winners. Manchester City won the competition last season and are undoubtedly the best side in Europe right now. Meanwhile, West Ham won the Europa Conference League last campaign.

  • Saudi Arabia’s “The Line”: Urban Marvel or Nightmare?

    “This project gets people discussing urban forms, and that’s immensely important because cities, especially in Africa, are growing,” says Prieto-Curiel. Historically, cities often grew in organic ways, while planned cities often did not live up to expectations; thus, there is a need for more public engagement in urban design on a human scale.

  • Putin’s chef meets his ‘window.’ What does that mean for the future of Ukraine?

    The Kremlin hasn’t taken responsibility for the crash. But Grey Zone, a Telegram channel associated with Wagner, on Wednesday claimed that Prigozhin’s jet had been shot down while traveling from Moscow to St. Petersburg. A separate Wagner-affiliated Telegram channel claimed that Dmitry Utkin, Wagner’s first commander, is also among the dead.

  • From empire to federation? The view from the Middle East

    The 1920s was an intriguing decade that shed light on the practices of federalism in the formation of Arab states. Both European occupiers and local activists embraced the idea of federations when establishing new political entities after the collapse of the centuries-old Ottoman Empire. During that time, many activists saw a regional loose political-economic union (ittihad in Arabic) as the way out of the Ottoman Empire, rather than the nation-state model.

  • A Saudi-Israeli Peace Deal? Who Wants What and Why

    Although they have had secret contacts in the past, the Israelis and Saudis aren’t speaking to one another directly but rather through the Americans. According to sources familiar with the talks, they involve, on the US side, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and his deputies Brett McGurk and Amos Hochstein. For the Saudis, it’s Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman, who is the brother of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as well as National Security Adviser Musaed Al-Aiban. For the Israelis, it’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a former ambassador to the US and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s most trusted aide.