The Monocle Minute

Donald Trump’s probable re-election in the US is good news for strongmen elsewhere. Vladimir Putin and Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, both forged special, if tumultuous, relationships with the mercurial leader during his first time in office. A second Trump term, however, will be far more beneficial to Putin than Erdogan, the latter of whom is trying to find an exit from his Syria policy.

Erdogan recently extended an invitation to Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, who he has not met since the outbreak of the country’s civil war in 2011. Turkey has largely supported the Islamist opposition and today hosts some three million Syrian refugees. In recent months, however, domestic opinion has swung firmly against the refugees. For Assad, the presence of Turkish troops in the rebel-controlled provinces of Idlib and Aleppo is unacceptable. He said that he will only meet Erdogan to discuss their possible repatriation when Turkish boots are removed from Syrian soil.

Assad, the pariah president of a war-battered and impoverished country, is able to lay out his conditions to Erdogan, the leader of a G20 and Nato member nation, only because he has Vladimir Putin’s solid backing. And, from his side, Putin wants an end to the conflict in Syria because he has redirected attention and resources to Ukraine. The US was a major player in Syria during the Obama administration and the government worked alongside Kurdish forces and acted as a counterweight between Turkey, Russia and their proxies.

US troops are still in Syria but Trump isn’t interested in the conflict. The geopolitical shifts that have taken place since he left office in 2021 now mean that Turkey is more dependent on its relations with the US and Nato. Erdogan has few cards left to play in Syria – and might be forced to meet Assad on the Syrian president’s terms.

Hannah Lucinda Smith is Monocle’s Istanbul correspondent. For more opinion, analysis and insight, subscribe to Monocle today.

You might think that Tokyo’s residents do a good job of keeping their city clean but actor Ikki Goto felt that they needed a reminder to take their litter home. So he teamed up with Keisuke Nakagome to become the Gomi Hiroi (“litter-picking”) Samurai, a double act that takes the message to the streets. Dressed in neo-traditional robes, with trilbies on their heads and baskets on their backs, the duo wield elongated tongs and perform a theatrical clean-up for passers-by.

The show, which is sponsored by city businesses, entertains as well as informs. The pair pop up weekly around the area near their office in Ikebukuro and recruit volunteers. In one performance, posted on social media, Goto sets out to fill 10 buckets with cigarette ends, plastic bottles and fast-food wrappers. The aim is to raise awareness along with standards. “We want to make people think twice before they drop their litter,” he says.

Pick up a copy of Monocle’s July/August issue which, alongside our annual Quality of Life Survey, features our dedicated report on how cities keep clean and tidy.

Athens-based brand Ancient Greek Sandals has been dressing the feet of elegant summer travellers with its neutral-hued, leather designs for more than a decade. Until this year, those making their way to the Greek islands have stopped off at the label’s flagship in the capital to stock up on its signature Bios slippers and strappy Morfeas sandals.

Now, however, passengers can visit the brand’s new shop in Athens Airport near the Intra-Schengen departures terminal, which connects passengers to the Aegean. Complete with aquamarine flooring and 1950s-inspired furniture, the space mirrors the design of the Athens flagship and stocks products by friends of the brand, including soaps by Cretan label Patounis and jewellery by The Eye Ring. “We just wanted to capture the holiday spirit,” co-founder Christina Martini tells The Monocle Minute.

Enric Pastor is the founder of Manera, a Spanish-language title that showcases high-end interiors, architecture and design from across Spain. The brand recently published sister magazine Manera Mexico under the direction of editor in chief María Alcocer. Pastor and Alcocer tell us about the launch of the new issue.

The original publication focuses on Spain but also has ties to the Americas. What made you commit to a Mexican issue?
María Alcocer: When it comes to covering architecture and design guilds in Mexico, there is an editorial gap. It made sense for Enric and I to be the ones to fill this. The decision is also about perspective; it’s important for readers to see themselves in something. Mexico is one of the world’s most visited countries. It’s rich with iconic architecture and beautiful craftsmanship.

How do the two titles relate to each other?
Enric Pastor: Every edition has a distinct identity. We want both titles to feel connected to the region but appeal to an international audience. We found that the best way to achieve this balance was by being careful about our dialogue and what was shared between the two magazines. They’re still very independent from one another.

What advice do you have for new publications?
EP: Independent magazines are booming right now. We have much to learn from each other. The most important thing is finding the right tone in terms of writing, images and the way that you address readers.

To hear our full interview with Enric Pastor and María Alcocer, tune in to the latest episode of ‘The Stack’ on Monocle Radio.

Can the shared-workspace model work in manufacturing? We head to Bloqs, a pay-as-you-go workshop in north London, to hear how founders Arnaud Nichols and Al Parra are redefining the production process by providing creatives and businesses with flexible access to top-tier machinery, tools and a community of makers. Plus: we learn how Kabin founder Walter Craven uses the Bloqs factory for product testing and prototyping.