Turkey’s complicated relationship with the Middle East, explained by one word

This weekend is Eid al-Adha, the Muslim holiday that marks the end of the hajj pilgrimage season. To nearly all Muslims, it's known simply as Eid. But to Turks and their kin in other nations, it's called Bayram. The dividing line between the two names offers unexpected insight into how Turkey’s bid for influence in […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/09/02/turkeys-complicated-relationship-with-the-middle-east-explained-by-one-word/

Here’s how the diplomatic tit-for-tat between Russia and the U.S. unfolded

Lately, relations between the United States and Russia have seemed to take a page from Hammurabi: an eye for an eye, a consulate for a consulate. Since December, the two countries have been engaged in an increasingly heated diplomatic tit-for-tat. Last month, the Kremlin required the United States to trim its diplomatic staff in Russia by […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/09/01/heres-how-the-diplomatic-tit-for-tat-between-russia-and-the-u-s-unfolded/

German court set to throw out case against Nazi guard, as time runs short for Auschwitz trials

When local prosecutors in northeastern Germany made an announcement about 96-year old defendant Hubert Zafke this week, it appeared like standard procedure. Zafke's dementia, they said, had “reached a severity that the defendant is no longer able, inside and outside the courtroom, to reasonably assess his interests or coherently follow or give testimony.” Those few […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/09/01/german-court-set-to-throw-out-case-against-nazi-guard-as-time-runs-short-for-auschwitz-trials/

The most shocking political assassination of the last decade remains an utter mystery

It was one of the most shocking political assassinations of our time. Benazir Bhutto, the charismatic Pakistani leader and two-time prime minister, died during an attack as she waved to an adoring outdoor crowd. At 54, she had recently returned from exile to her homeland — then led by a military dictator — to attempt […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/09/01/the-most-shocking-political-assassination-of-the-last-decade-remains-an-utter-mystery/

Dozens of countries offered help after Hurricane Katrina. After Harvey, not so much.

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, more than 150 countries offered volunteers, supplies and cash to the United States. Impoverished Bangladesh, suffering a not-so-slow-motion climate catastrophe, promised $1 million and rescuers. Thailand offered 60 doctors and rice as a “gesture from the heart.” Germany sent high-speed pumps; the Dutch offered levee reconstruction experts. “Very large cash” […]

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2017/09/01/dozens-of-countries-offered-help-after-hurricane-katrina-after-harvey-not-so-much/