Ankara will never allow the YPG, or whatever the Americans intend to call it in the future, to represent Syrian Kurds at the negotiating table

The Trump administration's complete disregard for international institutions and norms, commitment to unilateralism, ability to weaponize economic sanctions, populism, selfish nationalism, willingness to transform immigration into a national security threat, and isolationism have been slowly changing Western democracies.

The Khashoggi murder will make the Saudis more dependent on external actors; this in turn could push it to become a common problem for the whole international community

Two prominent regional powers in the Middle East made headlines this week for entirely different reasons.

The killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a well-known Saudi journalist, an intellectual and a contributor to The Washington Post, will be remembered as a milestone for Saudi Middle Eastern policy.

Almost every foreign policy crisis in the United States in the last few years has shown the difficulty of responding due to the lack of a strategy or coordination.

Turkey's sole purpose in the Khashoggi case is not to take part in any regional power struggles but to help find the actors responsible for the murder

The Khashoggi affair is a stark reminder for the White House of how important a partnership with Ankara is in order to be engaged with developments in the Middle East

If Washington cannot refresh its Middle East policy, particularly on Syria, Putin may use it as an opportunity to gain more influence in the region

A Turkish court released pastor Andrew Brunson from house arrest last week. His trial had brought Turkey-U.S. relations to a historical low. Over the last two years, the issue dominated the agenda of every meeting between the high-level officials of both countries.

Turkey is still the most significant regional actor enabling the U.S. to secure its credibility and reputation across the whole Middle East

Riyadh has a long history of abductions and enforced disappearances when it comes to dissidents.

The disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi will fuel anti-Riyadh sentiment in the Western world and damage Saudi Arabia's reputation across the globe

President Trump's foreign policy approach and rhetoric suggest that the United States will stick to a particularly crude brand of unilateralism permanently.

Under the Trump administration, the United States will continue to ignore its global responsibilities.

Turkey and Germany need each other more than ever to address and manage common threats such as trade wars, migration issues and security strategies, to name but a few pressing issues

If Ankara and Berlin can overcome the challenges of recent years, a new strategic partnership could be in the making