The Monocle Minute

More than a decade after the coup in Egypt that saw Turkey break its ties with the country, Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, met his counterpart, Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, in Ankara to formally reset relations. At the top of their agenda was Palestine, with both sides saying they will work together toward a ceasefire, ensuring that humanitarian aid continues to flow into Gaza. The messaging will work in both leaders’ favour and their co-operation will help secure aid deliveries – but Erdogan’s relations with Hamas continue to hamper his efforts to present himself as a mediator.

Prior to Hamas’s 7 October massacres in Israel, Erdogan had taken steps to rebuild ties with Israel. The two countries reappointed ambassadors in August 2022 after a diplomatic break of four years. Erdogan was quick to offer himself as a go-between in the conflict but was swiftly rejected as his pro-Palestine rhetoric veered into outright support for Hamas. Following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on 31 July, the Turkish embassy in Tel Aviv lowered its flag to half-mast, prompting fury from Israelis. Such gestures will not be forgotten, even if Erdogan reverts to a more conciliatory tone.

Sisi will also remain wary of Erdogan’s courting of Hamas. He has pursued his own crackdown on Islamist groups, in particular the Muslim Brotherhood – the group that he overthrew in 2013 and ideological bedfellow of both Erdogan and Hamas. As Israel’s neighbour, Egypt’s security calculation also varies from Turkey’s.

Nevertheless, Turkey has been a significant provider of aid to Gaza, with much of its shipments coming through the Rafah crossing from Egypt. This is the one area in which co-operation between Turkey and Egypt will be of tangible benefit to the civilians inside Gaza. While talk of pushing for a ceasefire may polish the domestic image of the two leaders, it’s these behind-the-scenes humanitarian efforts that their time should be best spent on.

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

Ahead of New York Fashion Week (NYFW) the city’s status as a global fashion capital is at a crossroads. That is, at least, according to a new report by Partnership for New York City (a non-profit organisation of local business leaders). The report argues that its status as a fashion capital has been diminishing: the number of international attendees at NYFW has been steadily declining, the Garment District has become decentralised and a number of designers have decamped to Paris.

The group blames the coronavirus pandemic, rising business costs and the closure of specialty stores such as Barneys for the wane, while declaring that it’s time to take action “or risk losing fashion’s defining contributions to New York’s economy, culture and brand.” Some of the next steps on the agenda include establishing closer partnerships between the industry and the city’s fashion schools; setting up an accelerator to help businesses looking to scale; and launching a campaign that promotes the city as much as its fashion sector. In short, the report suggests a refresh of New York’s “status as a global trendsetter” will be critical in retaining design talent and convincing people to return to NYFW.

Had you told any Parisian in May that the Olympics and Paralympics would generate a huge wave of enthusiasm among locals – and that many of those who fled the city during the events would be missing out – they would have thought you mad. Yet that is exactly what happened and the success of the Games’ oddball mascots is emblematic of this reversal.

The wide-eyed Phryge plushies are modelled after the cap sported by republicans during the French Revolution (the first one), and are clearly inspired by Japan’s deliberately cutesy yuru-kyara (loose character) mascots. Their design was widely criticised ahead of the event but the mascots ended up endearing themselves to visitors and residents alike. So much so that Doudou & Compagnie, the French company that makes the Phryges, announced they’ve sold more than one million of them. The stuffed-toy maker, which split production between French and Chinese factories to meet demand, estimates that the Olympic mascots will account for at least a 30 per cent boost in its revenues. Such plush profits further vindicate the organisers of the Paris Olympics after years of relentless criticism.

Throughout its turbulent domestic history, Thailand’s default approach to global diplomacy has been one of trying to please all parties. But as geopolitical schisms widen, will this intermittent democracy with growing regional clout continue to conciliate – or is it time to take sides? Monocle meets the diplomats who will decide.

To read the fullarticle, pick up a copy of Monocle’s Septemberissue, which is available online and on newsstands now.

Monocle’s Andrew Mueller speaks with Justin Vogt, the executive editor of Foreign Affairs magazine, which since its launch in 1922 has published essays by presidents, generals and ambassadors. And Monocle’s Anita Riotta talks to Alex Heeyeon Kil, editor in chief of the new title Monochromator, which investigates the political layers of our entertainment culture.