Turkey - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Turkey

Turkey

June 23, 2026

Ankara 8:38 am

16°C

Germany's forward #26 Deniz Undav (2nd R), an ethnic Kurd, scores his team's first goal during the 2026 World Cup Group E football match between Germany and Ivory Coast at the Toronto Stadium in Toronto on June 20, 2026.

Culture

Amid political setbacks, Kurds shine at the World Cup

Kurdish players and clubs are making rare global gains on football’s biggest stage, offering a brief lift amid ongoing political setbacks across the region.

This photograph shows a Turkish national flag at the Razi-Kapikoy border crossing with Iran next to a black flag on the Iranian side, following the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in eastern Turkey on March 2, 2026.

Analysis

Turkey eyes gains from US-Iran deal as Ankara balances Tehran, Washington

Turkey sees the US-Iran memorandum as a chance to reduce regional spillover risks, revive trade with Tehran and gain diplomatic breathing room.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

A Turkish police officers patrols at the scene of a motor-bike bomb explosion, next to a police station on Oct. 6, 2016, in Istanbul.

Turkey captures alleged ISIS-K media chief near Afghanistan-Pakistan border

The capture comes as Turkish authorities intensify raids against Islamic State networks following recent attacks and alleged plots.

Latest News

Culture

Turkey’s Erdogan meets Orthodox patriarch amid push for reopening Halki Seminary

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets with Orthodox Patriarch of Bartholomew at the presidential complex, Ankara, Turkey, June 16, 2026.

Turkey’s Fidan heads to Moscow as S-400 sanctions issue returns to fore

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attends the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, on May 22, 2026.

Analysis

Erdogan-Netanyahu war of words signals deeper rivalry for regional influence

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Turkish House in New York on Sept. 19, 2023.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Feature

Turkey’s World Cup return clouded by politics, dawn kickoffs

Yasin AKGUL / AFP via Getty Images

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Amberin Zaman

Chief Correspondent

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Jack Dutton

Chief Business Correspondent

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Ezgi Akin

Associate Editor (Turkey)

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

People gather on the spot, where Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink was killed, during a commemoration to mark the 10th anniversary of his death, in Istanbul, Turkey, January 19, 2017. REUTERS/Osman Orsal - RTSW8WH

How unsolved murders serve power struggles in Turkey

High-profile trials and political murders have become tools in Turkey's power struggles, doubling also as a means to intimidate dissidents.

Why did Russia offer autonomy for Syria’s Kurds?

Draft constitution from Russia seeks to decentralize Syrian state authority, limit presidential powers; Turkish forces struggle in two-front campaign against both the Islamic State and Syrian Kurds; Al-Monitor offers in-depth reporting on Syrian Kurdish region.

Bullets lie next to a gun at a Sinjar Resistance Units (YBS) check point, a militia affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), in the village of Umm al-Dhiban, northern Iraq, April 30, 2016. They share little more than an enemy and struggle to communicate on the battlefield, but together two relatively obscure groups have opened up a new front against Islamic State militants in a remote corner of Iraq. The unlikely alliance between the Sinjar Resistance Units, an offshoot of a leftist Kurdish organ

Ankara concerned by PKK's modernized arsenal

The Kurdistan Workers Party's weapons, ammunition and equipment captured by Turkey show a previously unknown diversification and growing sophistication of the group's arsenal.

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan attends a Republic Day ceremony at Anitkabir, the mausoleum of modern Turkey's founder Ataturk, to mark the republic's anniversary as he is flanked by Prime Minister Binali Yildirim (R) in Ankara, Turkey, October 29, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTX2QXOL

4 reasons Turkey is destined for an imperial presidency

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's April referendum will pass, not because Turkish voters yearn for one-man rule or authoritarianism, but because the system is producing the desired outcomes for those in power.

Incoming Trump administration cabinet secretary nominees including Secretary of State nominee Rex Tillerson (L-R), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director nominee Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary nominee James Mattis arrive for meetings at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House in Washington, U.S. January 13, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RTX2YUEZ

How will Trump’s anti-Muslim Brotherhood inner circle view Qatar?

While Qatar’s support for groups such as Hamas has caused tense ties with the United States in the past, Donald Trump’s presidency could create even more challenges for Qatar.

U.S. President Donald Trump (R) and Vice President Mike Pence (C) attend a ceremonial swearing-in for U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly (L) at Homeland Security headquarters in Washington, U.S., January 25, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RTSXCQV

Turkey holds applause for Trump's safe-zone promise

Turkey would still likely welcome a US-sponsored safe zone in rebel-held areas, but the new US president's pledge to order safe zones did not specify where in Syria they might be established.

Why Islamists are no longer Erdogan’s favorites

Turkey’s new ruling ideology is Erdoganism, and its critics include some Islamists who now find themselves in the “traitor” category.

Saudi King Salman (R) meets Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and Turkish Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci (L) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia October 13, 2016. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVE. - RTSS3FP

Is Gulf money really a lifesaver for Turkish economy?

Despite assertions of impending major Gulf investment in Turkey, Europe continues to provide the bulk of external funds in the country

Members of the Free police attend a ceremony celebrating the inauguration of the "Free Police" in the Syrian border town of Jarablus January 24, 2017. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi - RTSX6LA

Syria's new national security force pledges loyalty to Turkey

A video of a new police force in Syria trained and equipped by Turkey shows the troops chanting Islamist and nationalist slogans, casting doubt about Ankara's claims that it has no designs on its former Ottoman dominion.

A fighter of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) stands next to damaged buildings in the northern Syrian town of Kobani January 30, 2015. Sheets meant to hide residents from snipers' sights still hang over streets in the Syrian border town of Kobani, and its shattered buildings and cratered roads suggest those who fled are unlikely to return soon. Kurdish forces said this week they had taken full control of Kobani, a mainly Kurdish town near the Turkish border, after months of bombardment by Islamic

Syrian Kurds rebuilding Kobani from rubble

The Kurds have high expectations for Rojava despite challenges.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - NOVEMBER 24: An EU and Turkish National flag are seen outside a shopping mall on November 24, 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey. European Parliament today voted to suspend Turkey's EU membership talks. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the decision " has no value for us." The Turkish Lira has weakened significantly since the July 15th failed coup attempt forcing Turkey's central bank today to raise interest rates for the first time in nearly three years. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty

Rights groups unmoved by Turkey's softened state of emergency

As Turkey's state of emergency continues, the government has passed measures establishing a commission for grievances and reducing the period police can hold detainees without charges in what critics call a cosmetic move.

Mohammad Alloush (C), the head of the Syrian opposition delegation, attends Syria peace talks in Astana, Kazakhstan January 23, 2017. REUTERS/Mukhtar Kholdorbekov - RTSWWYO

How are Syrian peace talks holding up?

There were no breakthroughs on the first day of negotiating between the Syrian regime and opposition representatives, but talks resumed this morning.