Turkey’s Soft Power in Action: Conquering hearts through Culture, Aid, and Religion
In the 21st century, power is no longer measured solely in jet fighters or trade deals. Perceptions, narratives, and humanitarian visibility often…
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Author: Iqal Analysis Staff
All Quiet on the Northeastern Front? Turkmenistan’s Neutrality Policy Challenged by the Iran Conflict
The Iran war, now in its third week, continues to dramatically affect countries bordering Iran and the wider Middle East. The regime…
Chaharshanbe Suri: Iran’s regime faces a fiery festival
On March 17, Iranians will gather to celebrate the festival of Chaharshanbe Suri, or sometimes known as “the fire festival.” Chaharshanbe Suri…
Hezbollah’s Gamble: How a Radical Militant Group May Have Made Israel–Lebanon Normalization Possible
History is replete with ironies, but few are as exquisite as this one. The organisation that did more than any other to…
Inflation in Turkey: The Price of Ankara’s Cheap-Credit Era
On March 12th the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey left its one-week repo rate (its main policy rate) unchanged at…
The Ayatollah’s New Clothes: Where Is Mojtaba Khamenei?
Since being named Iran’s third Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared in public. He has spoken to no one, appeared to…
Military AI: When the Future of Tech Meets the Power of the State
For an industry that enjoys speaking in the accents of moral philosophy, America’s frontier-AI business is learning the language of procurement. The…
Oil, War and the Strait of Hormuz: The Economic Stakes of the Iran Conflict
Wars are usually measured on maps. Economists begin with choke-points. The war with Iran has turned the Strait of Hormuz into the…
From Silence to Asylum: How Iran’s Women Footballers Turned The Pitch into a Protest Stage
The image of the Iran women’s footballers lasted only a moment. As the team bus pulled away from Gold Coast Stadium in…
The Unsinkable Aircraft Carrier and a Shifting Balance of Power
Cyprus lies well beyond the Middle East’s battlefields, yet it has been drawn into the conflict between Israel, the United States, and…