Turkey

American newspapers lead the new angle of biased critisim on Turkey. Such a shame because Ankara has proven to be an independant regional influence in the Middle East, with its own brand of soft power diplomacy.

A year after Israel's violent attack on the first aid flotilla, it has failed to keep its promise to end the blockade of Gaza, where the humanitarian crisis continues to worsen. The second flotilla planned this year will again try to ease conditions, amid the failure of political actors to bring any real change to the situation.

Renewed U.S. efforts to bring sanctions against Iran are more backlash for being snubbed in favour of a tripartite deal with Turkey and Brazil than they are about nuclear proliferation. A UN Security Council coalition may be able to block U.S. pressure for sanctions that would only punish Iranian civilians.

The mayor of a Turkish town has escaped charges of "misconduct" and "abuse of power" stemming from his decision to provide up to 10 tons of water free of charge to district residents.