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Cappadocia — strange, beautiful, relevant

December 9, 2009 08:17Updated May 30, 2010 13:14
In this mountainous Turkish region, tourists run out of adjectives for what they see before them.

In Turkey, criticism an expensive business

November 23, 2009 22:05Updated May 30, 2010 13:14
ISTANBUL, Turkey — Any normal business would tremble in the face of a $2.5 billion tax fine. But in the case of Dogan Yayin, Turkey’s largest media corporation, most are betting that more is going on than just a simple case of tax delinquency.

In food of Istanbul, echoes of the past

November 29, 2009 12:48Updated May 30, 2010 13:13
ISTANBUL, Turkey — Napoleon said that if the world were a single state then its capital would be Constantinople. Even today, amid the traffic-choked streets of modern Istanbul, among the steep alleys and ancient mosques, you can still feel what he meant. The air is thick with centuries of civilization — and nowhere is that more apparent than in the food.

Sticking up for al-Bashir?

November 8, 2009 19:37
No one is saying who lost the game of chicken, but it was probably Turkey. What is certain is that Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, indicted by the International Criminal Court, has pulled out of an Islamic summit in Istanbul.

Reviving Turkish baths

November 14, 2009 09:46Updated May 30, 2010 13:13

Opinion: It's getting chilly between Turkey and Israel

October 21, 2009 12:16Updated May 30, 2010 13:11
BOSTON — A strategic fault line is opening up in the Middle East with balance of power ramifications for the region. It is the growing coolness between two previously close allies: Turkey and Israel. Last week “Anatolian Eagle,” a planned NATO exercise on Turkish soil was canceled when Turkey withdrew an invitation to Israel to participate. The United States and Italy promptly withdrew their participation, making the exercise pointless. Turkey said the reason was its opposition to Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians in Gaza.

Armenia and Turkey — not so fast

October 14, 2009 07:01Updated May 30, 2010 13:10
KIEV, Ukraine — Turkey and Armenia have engaged in “soccer diplomacy” days after the two countries signed a monumental peace deal — a landmark step that could lead to the end of nearly a century of hostile relations between them and transform their region. President Serzh Sargsyan of Armenia plans to attend a World Cup qualifying match with Turkey in Bursa, near Istanbul, on Wednesday, in a reciprocal gesture after his Turkish counterpart, Abdullah Gul, traveled to the Armenian capital Yerevan for a World Cup game last year.

Turkey and Armenia sign deal (finally!)

October 11, 2009 11:14
In the drawn-out saga over whether to sign, or not to sign, the dime seems to have landed in favor of reconciliation. After a last-minute dispute over wording, Turkey and Armenia met at the table on Saturday and signed a historic agreement to establish normal diplomatic relations and reopen their borders. The gains made on Saturday came only after frantic, down-to-the-wire diplomacy on the part of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other diplomats as they tried desperately to salvage the deal.

Pausing before peace

October 10, 2009 13:57
Like the saying goes — “If it's too good to be true, then it probably is.” In the case of Turkey and Armenia, hopes for reconciliation were to be disappointed yet again today. After six weeks of intense debate over the proposed signing of an accord to restore diplomatic ties between Turkey and Armenia both countries met in Zurich today — but they never made it to the signing ceremony.

Normalizing Armenia-Turkey relations

October 10, 2009 10:52Updated May 30, 2010 13:10
[Editor's note: this story was updated to account for the events of Saturday, Oct. 10 and Sunday, Oct. 11.] ISTANBUL, Turkey — It began with a soccer match, and it may just end with one. Seeds of a new friendship were planted last September when Turkish President Abdullah Gul became the first modern Turkish leader to visit Armenia, for a match between the two countries (which Armenia lost).
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