# MIDDLE EAST

# MIDDLE EAST

vlgr Aug 23, 2026

Turkey Has a Price. Was Syria the Deal, the US the Dealmaker and the EU the Financier?

Before Israel and the United States went to war with Iran, Turkish companies had already begun appearing inside major Syrian infrastructure projects. Was Syria the price of Turkish restraint, and did Washington mistake a transaction for an alliance? Was this a strategic error?

# MIDDLE EAST

vlgr Aug 19, 2026

The West Is Paying to Rebuild Nuclear Syria. Does It Know What It Is Buying?

Ahmed al-Sharaa cannot turn a few tonnes of legacy nuclear material into a serious nuclear programme. He can turn it into sovereignty, leverage and another carefully staged demonstration that Damascus should now be treated as a responsible member of the international community.

# MIDDLE EAST

vlgr Aug 11, 2026

US Cowboys, Middle Eastern Airspace and Reliable Partners

Y’all remember that awkward Ankara summit where everybody was promised everything, nobody got much of anything, Turkey was once again declared a reliable partner without getting its F-35s, and Trump supposedly flew home on the older Air Force One because the new Qatari jet wasn’t quite sophisticated enough yet? Turns out there weren’t two planes involved. There were three.

# MIDDLE EAST

vlgr Aug 3, 2026

Trump Cancels Iran War Again. War Expected to Resume After Brief Commercial Break

President Trump has once again cancelled a planned attack on Iran, citing progress toward negotiations and the outlines of a possible agreement.

# MIDDLE EAST

vlgr Jul 23, 2026

Turkish Sultanate supports their Turkish Cypriot brothers with an illegal bidirectional pipeline - escalation imminent?

Turkey has once again demonstrated its boundless generosity toward the Turkish Cypriots. After occupying the northern third of Cyprus for over half a century, Ankara has decided the best way to help its “brothers” is to build them a 101-kilometre undersea natural gas pipeline - without asking the internationally recognised government of the island. Wanna know why? Read here.

# MIDDLE EAST

vlgr Jul 22, 2026

The "Cypriot issue"

Kaja Kallas and other EU officials have discovered a new favourite phrase: “the Cyprus issue.” It is an exceptionally useful expression. It removes the Turkish invasion, the occupation of more than a third of an EU member state, the displaced Greek Cypriots, the settlers, the troops and the unrecognised regime.

# MIDDLE EAST

vlgr Jul 9, 2026

Post-Summit Announcement – Attention, Terran Workers!

We have observed surface developments from our permanent facilities beneath the Antarctic ice and within the Agartha network for an extended period. Continued instability in multiple theatres, combined with inefficient coordination during the recent corrective actions against the Iranian element, necessitated direct intervention. Clone deployment was authorised to restore proper order.

# MIDDLE EAST

vlgr Jul 8, 2026

Ankara Summit Special - Trump Tells Allies To “Talk That Talk, Walk That Walk”

Ankara, July 2026 - he most awkward NATO family reunion since Turkey bought Russian missiles and everyone pretended not to notice. Trump’s strategy of dangling a carrot in front of Erdoğan is in full swing, the results may vary.

# MIDDLE EAST

vlgr Jul 3, 2026

Four Months Later, Iran Buries Khamenei. Will Khamenei’s Successor Dare To Show His Face?

The Islamic Republic has finally decided it is safe to bury Ali Khamenei, four months after he was removed from office by joint US-Israeli action. Tehran has now scheduled what it hopes will be the largest state funeral in its history, during the 4 July, America’s Independence Day.

# MIDDLE EAST

vlgr Jul 2, 2026

EU taxpayers are once again "investing" and bringing "our democracy" to Russia's border

Ursula von der Leyen flew to Baku this week and announced that the EU will “invest” up to €200 million in transport, energy and digital links across the South Caucasus. With a bit of creative accounting this can supposedly leverage another €2 billion. On top of that, a fresh €20 million programme will help “border communities”.