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

Turkey

Turkey

November 11, 2026

Ankara 12:30 pm

8°C

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Explainer

Iran war pushes up coal use, complicating Turkey’s COP31 pledge

Turkey is asking world leaders at COP31 to back a global push to use more electricity, even as the Iran war has driven up natural gas prices and pushed some power producers back to coal.

OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey bars MP’s wife from travel after his fund scandal criticism: What to know

Opposition politicians and rights advocates described Yonca Verdioglu Sik’s brief detention as an attempt to intimidate her husband, opposition lawmaker Ahmet Sik, over his criticism of the government.

A steel worker works in front of giant iron melting pot in Kardemir Iron and Steel Factory in Karabuk, northwestern Turkey, Aug. 26 2005. (TARIK TINAZAY/AFP via Getty Images)

Steel factory explosion in western Turkey kills at least 16

Footage from the scene showed a huge plume of thick smoke spreading into the sky as flames engulfed a tall structure within the plant.

Latest News

Analysis

Will Democrats block Trump’s push to deliver Turkey F-35s, lift sanctions?

MEHMET ESER/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Costa Rica's Grynspan extends lead in UNSG poll as Nusseibeh places fourth

United Arab Emirates

Turkey’s parliament ratifies Mecca pact in boost to Saudi Arabia

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses Turkish members of parliament during the opening of the parliamentary session at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in Ankara, on Oct. 1, 2026.

Samuel Wendel

Senior Analyst, Middle East Business & Tech

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

Erdogan links Crusades with present-day terror

Turkey’s president looks to the past, rather than to his own failed policies; Aleppo offensive imminent; is Israel employing a double standard in its dealings with Turkey?

Finansbank headquarters is seen between Tekfen (2nd L) and Sapphire (R) towers in Istanbul, Turkey, June 9, 2016. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RTSGPQH

Why does Turkey suddenly need so many bankruptcy trustees?

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's battle against the Gulen movement is making some people very rich — and bankrupting others.

How UN summit disappointed its Turkish hosts

Turkey refused to sign a joint statement at the end of the first World Humanitarian Summit it hosted in late May, wary of an international investigation into gross human rights abuses in its conflict-torn southeast.

Erdogan's take on terror attacks nicely fits AKP agenda

Despite the wide Western condemnation of the two latest terror attacks in Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is pointing the finger of blame westward in accordance with his party's narrative of persecution and defiance.

A smiling Muhammad Ali shows his fist to reporters during an impromptu press conference in Mexico City July 9, 1987. REUTERS/Jorge Nunez - RTR1N6MB

How Muhammad Ali became a hero for Turks

Boxing legend Muhammad Ali’s funeral arrangements reveal the deep divisions among Turks on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s international credibility.

Will Afrin be the next Kobani?

Afrin, one of the three cantons of Rojava, strives to provide refuge to its population despite the blockade by Turkey and its allies.

A woman walks along a street in the southeastern Turkish town of Silopi in Sirnak province, near the Turkish-Iraqi border crossing of Habur, Turkey, August 7, 2015. Five people were killed in eastern Turkey on Friday in a series of clashes between security forces and Kurdish militants, part of a surge in violence that has put further strain on a fragile peace process between Ankara and the rebels. Three people were killed and seven wounded during clashes between police and militants of the Kurdistan Workers

Regional Kurdish party in AKP'S crosshairs

The Kurdish Democratic Regions Party, which controls most of the local administrations in the southeast of Turkey, is under intense pressure not only over the self-rule movement in its provinces but as a staunchly democratic counterpoint to the authoritarian trend in Turkish politics.

Has Turkey given up fighting corruption?

Turkey's new government shies away from even paying lip service to fighting corruption, as allegations of graft and bribery at the higher echelons of the state reach as far as the United States.

Will gas thaw the ice between Russia, Turkey?

Russia’s interest in crucial energy projects with Turkey may facilitate fence-mending between the two countries after months of crisis.

A fighter of the Syria Democratic Forces mans an anti-aircraft weapon in the southern rural area of Manbij, in Aleppo Governorate, Syria May 31, 2016. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RTX2FA27

Why Turkish military isn't welcome in Syria, Iraq

Military and political observers say the Turkish government's failure to recalibrate its policies to better cooperate with the United States, Russia and Iran is undermining Turkey's security interests in Syria and Iraq.

Kurdish fighters from the People's Protection Units (YPG) stand near a military vehilce in the southeast of Qamishli city, Syria, April 22, 2016. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RTX2B6V0

Turks question loyalties after picture emerges of US soldiers with YPG patches

Recently published photos of US forces wearing YPG insignia have further strained US-Turkish relations and may even offer a recruitment tool for the Islamic State.

Will Turkey's military might be overshadowed by political failures?

Although the Turkish military is preoccupied with developments in Syria, border security and combating terrorism, its Efes exercise on May 30-31 was a major show of force.