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

Turkey

Turkey

November 11, 2026

Ankara 3:51 pm

11°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

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan makes a speech during his meeting with mukhtars at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, November 26, 2015. Erdogan on Thursday dismissed as "emotional" and "unfitting of politicians" suggestions that projects with Russia could be cancelled in the wake of Turkey's downing of a Russian warplane near the Syrian border. Erdogan said the Russian jet was shot down on Tuesday in an "automatic reaction" in line with standing instructions given to the military. Turkey's militar

Will he, won't he? Turks ponder whether Erdogan will invade Syria

The unhappy Turkish president has many factors to consider if he is contemplating military intervention in Syria.

Turkish army tanks take part in a Republic Day ceremony in Istanbul, Turkey, October 29, 2015. Turkey marks the 92nd anniversary of the Turkish Republic. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RTX1TS6F

Turkey gives mixed signals on Syria

Pro-Erdogan media drums support for an invasion of Syria, but military experts say this is not feasible.

Is Turkey doing enough to protect its Protestants?

Turkey's small Protestant community feels threatened not only by detractors, but also by the Islamic State, and lacks government protection against either.

How Turkey's foreign policy may have lost it $25 billion in trade with Iran

A preferential trade agreement between Turkey and Iran has failed to stop the decline in bilateral trade as regional political disputes between the two neighbors deepen.

Is this the end of Turkish miracle?

Turkey’s economic success story of the past decade has dramatically changed, becoming instead a tale of caution.

Is Russia helping the US win in Syria?

Russian air power and Syrian forces are pounding terrorists and their allies, while taking a terrible toll on civilians; keep Turkey out of Syria.

Diyarbakirspor fans shout slogans on the pitch as they hold a burning Bursaspor team flag during a Turkish Super League soccer match between Diyarbakirspor and Bursaspor in Diyarbakir March 6, 2010. The game between Bursaspor and Diyarbakirspor was suspended on the 17th minute on Saturday, when Diyarbakirspor fans began throwing foreign objects to the pitch. REUTERS/Anatolian/Cem Ozdel (TURKEY - Tags: SPORT SOCCER CIVIL UNREST) TURKEY OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN TURKEY - RTR2BAW4

Diyarbakir's soccer team gets yellow card for winning

Diyarbakir's Amedspor soccer club is paying a heavy price for making its way to the Turkish Cup quarterfinals, defeating powerful rivals along the way.

Will Turkey, Russia fan flames into an inferno?

Moscow, Ankara ramp up their "he said, she said" exchanges with ever-stronger accusations.

Erdogan’s new Kurdish allies

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is gearing up to resume the Kurdish settlement process — but with new dialogue partners with Islamist inclinations.

Will new Turkish fact-checking site be able to hold politicians accountable?

Turkey’s first and only political fact-checking website aims to make political actors in Turkey accountable for their statements.

Turkey’s nationalist 'Gray Wolves' enter Syrian fray

Turkish ultranationalists have joined the fight in Syria as what some observers view as their government's secret weapon, one that could backfire as the group mingles with Islamists along with the Turkmens they're defending.

AKP moderate declared 'traitor'

The "Arinc rebellion" against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seems to be the much-belated outburst of the much-speculated silent opposition within the AKP. But what is it likely to achieve?