Turkish-Kurdish conflict

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to MPs at his party's group meeting in the Turkish parliament on Jan. 21, 2026 in Ankara, Turkey.

Analysis

How the Iran war is giving Turkey's Erdogan a big boost

Opinion polls show Turks turning to Erdogan as a steady hand during the war, even as the country's finances remain fragile.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Bibi Heybat mosque is seen in front of Bibi Heybat Oil Field, situated at the coast of the Caspian Sea outside Baku on March 19, 2019.

Analysis

How Azerbaijan benefits — and risks losing — from Iran war

Azerbaijan is cashing in on soaring oil prices and Israeli demand, but risks Iranian retaliation, pipeline attacks and regional blowback if the war escalates.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

An Iraqi oil tanker waits at the Khawr Abd Allah canal leading up to Al-Faw port in southern Iraq, on June 6, 2024.

Desperate to sell its oil, Iraq turns to Turkey amid standoff with Kurds

As Iraq looks to reroute oil to Turkey, Baghdad is also using the plan to push the Iraqi Kurds to greenlight exports through their territory.

Ali IHSAN OZTURK / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

No strangers to turmoil, Turkey-Iran to maintain ties under Mojtaba Khamenei

Even as war heighten tensions between Ankara and Tehran, the mix of rivalry and pragmatic cooperation that has long defined Turkey–Iran relations is likely to endure.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Latest News

Analysis

Could Kurds be Trump's lever in Iran regime-change scenarios?

Protesters hold a banner reading "Come and weave resistance together" and "Women, life, freedom."

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Feature

After SDF-Damascus truce, is Kurdish haven still safe for Syria's Alawites?

Members of People's Defense Units (YPG) stand guard as Syrian government internal security personnel enter the northeastern city of Hasakeh, a Kurdish stronghold, on Feb. 2, 2026.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Analysis

Kurds, Damascus step back from brink as SDF signs fresh deal with Syrian government

Kurdish security forces patrol the street on Jan. 23, 2026 in Qamishli, Syria.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Interview

YPG spokesman: Syrian forces' strategy is to isolate Kurdish towns and cities

Siyamend Ali

Siyamend Ali

Siyamend Ali

YPG spokesman

Intel: How a deadly protest is challenging Turkey’s presence in Iraq

Putin guides Erdogan along the Road to Damascus

The Russian and Turkish presidents agree to rekindle 1998 Adana agreement.

Will the US renege on its promises to protect SDF in Syria?

Turkey is pushing ahead with the idea of a safe zone along its border with Syria.

Putin, Erdogan agree on Idlib but maneuver on Kurds

While Moscow and Ankara agreed to reinforce cooperation on Idlib to fight Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Putin's proposal on the "buffer zone" in Syria's northeast sent Erdogan home thinking, at least until the next round of Astana talks

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan speak during a ceremony to mark the completion of the sea part of the TurkStream gas pipeline, in Istanbul, Turkey November 19, 2018. Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC12DCA255B0

Erdogan seeks lifeline from Putin in Syria

The Turkish president will discuss Syria with his Russian counterpart in Moscow this coming week, as Qatar's Sheikh Tamim takes spotlight in Beirut.

Turkish soldiers ride a military vehicle at Manbij countryside, Syria December 28, 2018. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi - RC1A2163F930

Intel: Why Turkey is threatening Damascus after Manbij attack

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses members of parliament from his ruling AK Party (AKP) during a meeting at the Turkish parliament in Ankara, Turkey, January 8, 2019. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC15DCD0F010

Turkey, US discuss Syria buffer zone as Manbij attack kills American troops

Russia's foreign minister calls for Syrian control of areas after US withdrawal; IS suicide bomber kills 16 in Manbij; more worries expressed about election fairness in Turkey.

An image grab taken from a video published by Hawar News Agency (ANHA) on January 16, 2019, shows the aftermath of a suicide attack in the northern Syrian town of Manbij. - A suicide attack targeting US-led coalition forces in the flashpoint northern Syrian city of Manbij killed a US serviceman and 14 other people today, a monitor said. (Photo by - / various sources / AFP) (Photo credit should read -/AFP/Getty Images)

Intel: Manbij attack may strengthen Turkey’s hand against Syrian Kurds

The suicide attack that killed several US service members and civilians in Manbij yesterday may strengthen Turkey’s hand against Syrian Kurdish groups that it sees as a threat.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan leaves his seat to address members of parliament from his ruling AK Party (AKP) during a meeting at the Turkish parliament in Ankara, Turkey, January 15, 2019. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC177363CD90

Erdogan displays political prowess in deflecting Trump threat

In response to Trump's tweet threatening to destroy Turkey economically if it attacked the Kurds, Erdogan focused on the other half of the tweet: a buffer zone along the Syrian border.

A man waves a Kurdistan flag as a Turkish military truck escorts a convoy of peshmerga vehicles at Habur border gate, which separates Turkey from Iraq, near the town of Silopi in southeastern Turkey, October 29, 2014. Iraqi peshmerga fighters arrived in southeastern Turkey early on Wednesday ahead of their planned deployment to the Syrian town of Kobani to help fellow Kurds repel an Islamic State advance, a Reuters witness said. REUTERS/Kadir Baris (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY CONFLICT TPX IMAGES OF TH

Erdogan's plans in Iraqi Kurdistan may backfire

The news that Nechirvan Barzani will not continue as prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq is causing Turkey to worry that the new KRG Cabinet will not be formed of allies of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Will Erdogan wind up alone after alienating Arabs?

Following Trump’s decision to pull out of Syria, Ankara fears isolation after years of maneuvering to be an effective player in the Middle East.

Fighters from a new border security force under the command of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) hold flags during a graduation ceremony in Hasaka, northeastern Syria, January 20, 2018. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RC1CD85096E0

Intel: How Trump's tweet is sparking debate over a new Syrian ‘safe zone’