Free Republic

Initially, archaeologists believed that humans began to live with cats about 9,500 years ago in... parts of the present-day eastern Mediterranean and Middle East. This timeline coincides with the beginning of the Neolithic era, when agriculture started to spread. The grains used in farming attracted rodents, which then enticed the wildcats to come and eat the rodents. Neolithic humans then likely kept the wildcats around to keep the rodents away, paving the way for domestication. Cat remains dating [circa 9500 years ago] have been discovered in present-day Cyprus, indicating that the animals were a part of daily life by then.Cats...

'US Special Envoy Tom Barrack plays a key role in reshaping a policy in the Middle East...'See comments there.Here is an example:Darias @Yosefewz2: Tom Berrak works only for the interests of Turkey and turns the Middle East into hell by defending ISIS number 2, Ahmad al-Shara and the terrorism of Turkish Islamic Arabism. Feb 11, 2026 [https://x.com/Yosefewz2/status/2021611202384666739]

Greece will cooperate with Israel on anti-drone systems and cybersecurity, Greek Defence Minister Nikos Dendias said on Tuesday after meeting his Israeli counterpart in Athens."We agreed to exchange views and know-how to be able to deal with drones and in particular swarms of unmanned vehicles and groups of unmanned subsea vehicles," Dendias said in joint statements with Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz."We will also work together in order to be ready to intercept cyber threats."With strong economic and diplomatic ties, Greece and Israel operate an air training centre on Greek territory and have held joint military drills in recent years.Greece...

Washington’s answer to China’s Belt and Road Initiative begins in Armenia, and Vice President JD Vance is in the South Caucasus to pave the way. The Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) may serve as the foundation stone of a broader network of transportation and economic corridors designed to secure critical Eurasian supply chains for the United States and to counter Chinese and Russian influence. However, the region lies on the periphery of U.S. geopolitical engagement; therefore, TRIPP’s implementation will require pragmatic solutions and a return to realpolitik in order to avoid aggressive countermeasures by other regional powers....

2.8.2026 QUESTION: 1.What date, in 2024, did Wikipedians succeed in 'elevating' the so-called "Gaza genocide" from 'allegations' to supposed 'fact'? 2. Who are the editors promoting it? 3. Did the so called "reliable sources" include (Islamist bigot, expansionist) Erdogan's TRT/Anadolou; Hamas linked Euro-Med; MSF (- whose members included Hamas); Qatar's Hamas-linked al Jazeera; anti-Israel blog mondoweiss and activists/journalists of Haaretz? And were UN's Francesca Albanese (with an antisemitic record at least since 2014 and dubbed 21-century Goebbeles) and Pillay/Kothary (of the 2022 "Jewish control" trope) team as well as ($30 membership, no qualifications) IAGS - central to it? 4. Did...

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey have prepared a draft defence agreement after nearly a year of talks, Pakistan's Minister for Defence Production said, a signal they could be seeking a bulwark against a flare-up of regional violence in the last two years. Raza Hayat Harraj told Reuters on Wednesday the potential deal between the three regional powers was separate from a bilateral Saudi-Pakistani accord announced last year. A final consensus between the three states is needed to complete the deal, he said.

While Washington searches for ways to weaken Iran’s murderous rulers, our supposed NATO ally Turkey is working overtime to keep the mullahs alive — and in power. This week’s diplomatic tug-of-war over US-Iran negotiations is a win for Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s Islamist strongman, who has led a cynical campaign to stall for time and block US and Israeli military action against the Islamic Republic after its brutal crackdown on civilian protesters. He’s feigning concern that military action would spark “regional instability,” but his real goal is simple: Keep Iran’s theocracy from falling — and stop the emergence of a...

A quiet diplomatic decision just redrew the geopolitical map of the Red Sea. This video breaks down why Israel’s recognition of Somaliland is a calculated power move tied to global shipping lanes, Berbera Port, and rising tensions with Turkey—far beyond a symbolic gesture. We connect the dots between the Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint, Gaza’s future, and a brewing regional rivalry. If you enjoy clear, no-nonsense geopolitics, drop your take in the comments and consider subscribing. .....

Archaeologists working in southeastern Turkey have uncovered new evidence that expands the known reach of one of the world’s earliest monumental cultures. The find is reshaping how researchers understand the Neolithic transition in Upper Mesopotamia. Stone structures featuring Göbeklitepe-style T-pillars have been identified in the Samsat district of Adıyaman. The remains surfaced after falling water levels in the Atatürk Dam reservoir exposed land that had remained underwater for decades. Discovery triggered by retreating waters The site lies near Kızılöz village, where receding waters revealed stone features along the shoreline. After a report from residents, teams from the Adıyaman Museum Directorate...

Göbeklitepe-style T-shaped pillars discovered in Adıyaman reveal the wider Taş Tepeler culture and reshape the Neolithic map of Upper Mesopotamia. A remarkable new archaeological discovery in southeastern Türkiye is reshaping our understanding of the Neolithic world. In Adıyaman’s Samsat district, structures resembling the iconic “T”-shaped pillars of Göbeklitepe have emerged after water levels receded in the Atatürk Dam reservoir. This find strongly suggests that the cultural sphere known as Göbeklitepe or Taş Tepeler culture extended much farther than previously documented. The discovery was made near Kızılöz village, where falling water levels exposed stone features along the shoreline. Following a local...

Seven countries. One collapsing system. From Iran’s 99% currency crash to Lebanon’s total economic wipeout, from Pakistan’s nuclear-armed instability to Sudan’s civil war and famine, state failure is spreading across the Muslim world. These aren’t isolated disasters—they’re feeding each other. Economic collapse fuels unrest. Unrest drives refugees. Refugee shocks destabilize neighbors. Extremism fills the vacuum. In this video, we break down the dangerous cascade linking Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Lebanon, and Sudan—and why this moment may be the most serious threat to regional and global stability in a generation.

Mostly unnoticed in the recent flurry of world events, from the people’s uprising in the streets of Iran to the lightning fast seizure and extradition of Venezuelan dictator, Nicolas Maduro, by the United States (U.S.) in a 2-3 January 2026 overnight raid, was an important meeting in Istanbul, Turkey of leadership figures, branches, and networks associated with the Muslim Brotherhood. Many of these representatives came from Brotherhood groups in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, but others also represented Brotherhood chapters based in Europe. Preceding the Istanbul meeting itself, on New Year’s Day, 1 January 2026, large pro-HAMAS...

While Iranian protesters are being beaten, imprisoned, and killed by the Islamic Republic, Turkey’s government is busy running diplomatic interference for the mullahs. Ankara’s effort, marshaled by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, is not an aberration or a miscalculation. Rather, it is a revealing confirmation of Turkey’s long-standing ideological sympathy for Islamist regimes and movements across the Middle East. Turkish officials cloak their defense of Tehran in warnings about “regional instability,” arguing that the collapse of the Islamic Republic could create a dangerous power vacuum. But beneath this familiar talking point lies a simpler truth: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan does not...

Netanyahu said he opposes the deployment of Turkish and Qatari troops in Gaza, though a source told Haaretz on Saturday that his public criticism was largely for show. Two additional sources told Haaretz that Netanyahu has been invited by Trump to take part in the Board of Peace. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a Knesset speech on Monday that Israel is at odds with the United States and will not accept the presence of Turkish or Qatari soldiers in the Gaza Strip, despite a source familiar with the matter telling Haaretz on Saturday that the composition of the Gaza...

Syria’s army has taken control of swathes of the country’s north, dislodging Kurdish forces from territory over which they held effective autonomy for more than a decade. State media said on Saturday that the army took over the northern city of Tabqa and its adjacent dam, as well as the major Freedom dam, formerly known as the Baath, west of the Syrian city of Raqaa. It came despite US calls to halt the advance. The government appeared to be extending its grip on Kurdish-run areas after the Syrian president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, issued a decree declaring Kurdish a national language and...

Archaeologists in Turkey have discovered a third-century mural depicting Jesus as the good shepherd. The mural, which remains in relatively good condition, is the centerpiece of a number of frescoes in an underground tomb in the Hisardere necropolis near the town of Iznik. While Iznik might not be a familiar name to many, its ancient name, Nicaea, may be better known to Christians.

Despite attempting to cast himself as the moral arbiter of the Middle East, Turkish Islamic semi-dicrator President Recep Tayyip Erdogan continues to use regional instability to mask his domestic failures and pursue a transparently expansionist “Neo-Ottoman” agenda. 1. Exploiting the Syrian Power Vacuum While the fall of the Assad regime in late 2024 was a victory for the Syrian people, Erdogan has swiftly pivoted from “liberator” to occupier. Turkey was the primary backer of the Syrian National Army (SNA), a proxy force critics argue is more loyal to Ankara than to the Syrian revolution. Following Assad’s collapse, Erdogan’s forces launched...

Orthodox Christmas will be observed on January 7, by millions of Christians across Eastern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. While much of the world celebrates Christmas on December 25, Orthodox Christians follow a different liturgical calendar, making their celebration fall 13 days later... The difference in dates arises from the use of two calendars. Most Western Christian churches follow the Gregorian calendar, introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 to correct inaccuracies in the older Julian calendar. This reform fixed the date of Christmas as December 25. However, many Orthodox churches chose not to adopt the Gregorian calendar for...

“Britain and France on Saturday conducted an airstrike on an underground facility in the mountains north of Palmyra, Syria, which ISIS terrorists "likely" used to store weapons and explosives, the British Defense Ministry confirmed in a statement. Western aircraft have been conducting patrols to stop a resurgence of the terror group, the ministry noted. Our aircraft used Paveway IV guided bombs to target a number of access tunnels down to the facility," the ministry added, noting that initial indications are that the target was successfully engaged, and that no civilians were put at risk by the strikes.“

Five of the 10 Somali daycare centers that were visited by Nick Shirley in his viral exposé on alleged fraud in Minnesota were also meal sites for the fraud-laden "Feeding Our Future" organization. The case surrounding fraud with "Feeding Our Future" has seen over 90 people charged and at least 60 people have been convicted. According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, half of the 10 daycare facilities that were visited by Shirley were also connected to Feeding Our Future as "meal sites." Altogether, the five daycare businesses got nearly $5 million from Feeding Our Future between 2018 and 2021. The...