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

Turkey

Turkey

July 5, 2026

Ankara 11:18 am

22°C

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech after a signing ceremony with Libyan Government of National Unity prime minister at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on April 12, 2021.

Analysis

In Libya, maritime dispute could complicate Turkey’s backing of US unity push

Turkey and the US increasingly share an interest in stabilizing Libya through a Tripoli-Benghazi power-sharing deal, though their alignment may hinge on the durability of any such deal and Washington's stance on Ankara's disputed 2019 maritime agreement.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

A screenshot of one of Deniz Goktas' standup routines posted to YouTube.

Culture

Turkish standup comic detained after act calling Erdogan 'dictator' goes viral

Comedian Deniz Goktas’ arrest comes as Ankara intensifies prosecutions against opposition figures, journalists, artists and critics ahead of a major NATO summit.

Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud speaks during the launch of an offshore energy exploration at the port in Mogadishu on April 10, 2026.

Turkish jets strike al-Shabab targets in Somalia: What to know

A Somali Defense Ministry statement initially said Turkish F-16s carried out strikes on Al-Shabab targets before a later version referred only to “international partners.”

Latest News

Explainer

Turkey eases job rules for 1M+ Syrians under temporary protection: What to know

Syrian textile employees work in a textile workshop in Gaziantep, Turkey, on Jan. 30, 2025.

Turkey, Azerbaijan slam Israel’s Armenian genocide recognition as Yerevan mum

KAREN MINASYAN / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Why Turkey and Egypt are deepening military ties amid regional turmoil

From (L-R) Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attend a meeting in Cairo on June 21, 2026.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

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

Turkish embassy staff carry their wounded colleague on a stretcher after a suicide car bomb attack at the gates of an office housing Turkish embassy staff in Somalia's capital Mogadishu July 27, 2013. A car loaded with explosives rammed into the gates of an office housing Turkish embassy staff in the Somali capital, killing two people, witnesses and police said on Saturday. REUTERS/Feisal Omar (SOMALIA - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTX121BU

Why Did Al-Qaeda-Linked Group Hit Turkish Embassy in Somalia?

The al-Shabab terrorist attack on Turkey’s embassy in Mogadishu has provoked further conspiracy theories.

A supporter of Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan stands in front of a police fence as she waits for his arrival at Istanbul's Ataturk airport early June 7, 2013. Erdogan told thousands of cheering supporters on Friday his authority came from the ballot box and urged them not to be drawn into violence, in a show of ruling party strength after a week of fierce anti-government protests. Addressing crowds at Istanbul airport from an open-top bus after returning from a trip to North Africa, Erdogan called on

Turkey’s Twitter 'Fenos' Work to Marginalize Critics

Women journalists, in particular, face the wrath of pro-AKP pundits.

Locals carry a victim, killed in air strikes, to the morgue of a hospital in Uludere, of the Sirnak province December 29, 2011. Turkish warplanes launched air strikes against suspected Kurdish militants in northern Iraq near the Turkish border overnight, the military said on Thursday, but local officials said the attack killed 35 smugglers who were mistaken for guerrillas. The Turkish military confirmed it had launched the strikes after unmanned drones spotted suspected rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Part

Erdogan’s Doublethink

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s approach to police and military actions is an Orwellian case of "doublethink."

An Israeli flag flutters in the wind as a naval vessel (not seen) escorts the Mavi Marmara, a Gaza-bound ship that was raided by Israeli marines, to the Ashdod port May 31, 2010. Israeli marines stormed the Turkish aid ship bound for Gaza on Monday and 10 pro-Palestinian activists were killed, triggering a profound diplomatic crisis. REUTERS/Amir Cohen (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR2ELLI

Turkey Stalls on Reconciliation With Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted the Turkish conditions for restoring relations between the two countries, but is Ankara willing to move forward?

Oil tankers sail under the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge linking the city's European and Asian sides, over the Bosphorus waterway in Istanbul April 26, 2012. REUTERS/Osman Orsal (TURKEY - Tags: ENERGY POLITICS BUSINESS MARITIME ENVIRONMENT) - RTR318MG

Environmental Crisis Looms in Turkey

The Turkish media is ignoring possible ecological disasters for fear of angering Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister for Economic and Financial Affairs Ali Babacan attends a session at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, January 28, 2012. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann (SWITZERLAND - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS) - RTR2WZDD

Erdogan’s Top Economic Adviser Takes Heat from Business

A controversial tax probe at Turkey’s largest business conglomerate adds to the woes of economy chief Ali Babacan.

Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou (L) pins a badge of EU presidency on the collar of his Turkish counterpart Yasar Yakis (R) upon his arrival in Ankara January 30, 2003. Greek Foreign Minister Papandreou whose country holds a terms' presidency of the European Union will attend a meeting of the European Union troika in Ankara January 31, 2003. ??? USE ONLY - RTXLR19

Turkish Diplomat Discusses Missteps in Syria

In an interview with Taraf, veteran Turkish diplomat Yasar Yakis speaks about Turkey's position toward Syria and his views on recent Kurdish developments in northern Syria.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan addresses members of parliament from his ruling AK Party (AKP) during a meeting at the Turkish parliament in Ankara June 25, 2013. Turkish anti-terrorism police detained 20 people in raids in the capital Ankara on Tuesday in connection with weeks of anti-government protests across the country, media reports said. The unrest began at the end of May when police used force against campaigners opposed to plans to redevelop a central Istanbul park. The protest spiralled int

Erdogan Seeks Informers

Is Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government encouraging people to report on each other?

Demonstrators hold Kurdish flags and portraits of jailed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan during a gathering to celebrate Newroz in the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir March 21, 2013. Jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan ordered his fighters on Thursday to cease fire and withdraw from Turkish soil as a step to ending a conflict that has killed 40,000 people, riven the country and battered its economy. Hundreds of thousands of Kurds gathered in the regional centre of Diyarb

Can the Kurds Redeem Erdogan’s Faltering Image?

If Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan can achieve a peace deal with the Kurds, he will have earned a place for himself in the history books.

Koc Holding Chairman Mustafa Koc makes a speech during the opening ceremony of the 12th Istanbul Biennial September 15, 2011. The 12th Istanbul Biennial has been organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV) and is sponsored by Koc Holding. The Istanbul Biennial will run until November 13. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY - Tags: BUSINESS INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY ENTERTAINMENT) - RTR2RC15

Is Audit of Koc Companies Erdogan’s Revenge for Gezi Park?

Police-accompanied tax audit raids against three companies of Turkey's largest industrial group, Koc, is putting into deeds Erdogan’s threats against capital owners he holds responsible for the Gezi Park events.

Anti-government protesters clash with riot police at Taksim in central Istanbul July 20, 2013. Turkish police fired water cannon on Saturday to disperse hundreds of protesters who gathered to march to Gezi Park in central Istanbul, which has been at the heart of fierce demonstrations against Prime Minister Erdogan's rule. REUTERS/Osman Orsal (TURKEY - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS) - RTX11TB6

Erdogan Threatens to Settle Score With The Times

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatens to “do what we can in the legal sphere” against the British daily The Times for publishing an advertisement denouncing his government.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu addresses the media in Ankara June 13, 2013. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX10M6J

Has Turkey Made U-Turn On Syria’s Kurds?

The leader of the Democratic Union Party of Syria (PYD), Salih Muslim, says Turkey has given the green light for autonomy for the Kurds in Syria.