An ancient rivalry takes on modern dimensions in the stories of Turkey and Iran.

Turkish artillery and drone strikes against Kurdish forces are spiking in Syrian Kurdistan after Turkish president Erdogan encountered opposition from Iran and Russia regarding a fourth planned Turkish military offensive.

History shows a pattern of conflict between the kings of modern day Iran and Turkey, as they struggled for control of the greater Middle East.

Ukrainian invasions. Middle Eastern revolutions. World wars and nuclear brinksmanship. The Wire presents a short article on the long history of competition, cooperation and conflict between Russia and Turkey.

In this third installation of The Wire’s “Roots of Rage” series, we explore the heart of the rage against Israel, and across time and space, it is all about covenant.

When Israel was at war with Gaza for 11 days in May 2021, international headlines and multi-national protests flooded the globe. Much of the outrage was directed at Israel, which is broadly viewed as an oppressive occupier, a breaker of international law, and easily labeled with words newly imbued with extreme emotional power like “colonial.” How could it be that such a small nation was the subject of such intense focus and denouncement? Is Israel truly guilty of the crimes of which she stands accused? Is the source of the rage against her righteous?

For 400 years, the Turkish Ottoman Empire controlled Jerusalem. To the sultan caliphs, the Holy City was a mandate to the "throne of the Caliphate." Today, a century after Jerusalem was taken by the British, and then Israel, a new Turkish leader seeks to reassert his authority in the place he calls "Our City."

The eyes of the world turned to the small Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah a few weeks ago, while Iranian pressure and incidents at Al-Aqsa contributed to the storm that consumed the Israel-Gaza border. Untangle and unpack current headlines with background and context to the profoundly complex and emotionally charged relations between Israel and the Palestinian territories.