Beirut based expert and Atlantic Council Fellow Nicholas Blanford explains the background to the explosion that rocked Beirut in 2020, a symptom he says of Lebanon’s corrupt and deeply sectarian political system. Despite that Lebanon remains one of the most welcoming destinations in the Mediterranean. Political Tours runs expert led tours in Beirut, Baalbek, the

What makes modern Turkey tick? Financial Times reporter in Istanbul Ayla Jean Yackley explains. President Tayyip Recep Erdogan’s still dominates the arena; the lingering backlash to the 2016 coup, Islam and democracy, the conflict in Syria, relations with Europe and Turkey’s struggling economy and covid19 are all part of the mix. There’s a lot going