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

Turkey

Turkey

September 13, 2026

Ankara 10:51 pm

20°C

People swim next to the Russian-flagged cargo ship OMSKIY-107, which was attacked off the Black Sea coast and eventually ran aground off the shore of the Sile district, Istanbul, Sept. 3, 2026.

Why Turkey has few options to protect Black Sea shipping

The Russia-Ukraine drone war is hitting Turkish commercial interests, exposing the limits of Ankara’s ability to protect shipping while remaining outside the conflict.

Fighters loyal to the Houthi authorities gather during a rally to recruit more fighters in Sanaa on Sept. 10, 2026.

Analysis

Saudi Arabia's Houthi crisis tests alliances with Trump, Turkey and Pakistan

As the Houthis tighten their grip on the Bab al-Mandeb, Saudi Arabia is turning to new regional alliances while Washington resists calls to intervene.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Latest News

Turkey’s defense giants court Egypt at Alamein Airshow: What to know

El Alamein International Airshow

Russia to give Turkey preferential fertilizer access amid Hormuz supply crunch

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hold a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek on September 1, 2026. (Photo by Kristina Solovyova / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Culture

Turkish ceramicist Leyla Borovali shapes Aegean heritage into clay

Leyla Borovali at her studio overlooking the Aegean

Analysis

With Hurjet test, Turkey seeks defense dominance beyond drones

TAI Hurjet

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

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

Nechirvan Barzani, Prime Minister of Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), speaks during an electoral rally for the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in Arbil, the capital of the northern Iraqi Kurdish autonomous region on April 29, 2018. (Photo by SAFIN HAMED / AFP) (Photo credit should read SAFIN HAMED/AFP/Getty Images)

Barzani: Russia key to settlement between Assad and Syrian Kurds

Manbij leaders prefer the United States, but would rather deal with Russia and Syria than Turkey; Amberin Zaman gets exclusive access to a prison for IS terrorists; did HTS force the resignation of a Syrian opposition leader?; Syrians protest Turkish truckers; Rouhani’s meeting with Sistani is "crowning achievement" of trip to Iraq.

Police try to disperse a march marking International Women's Day in Istanbul, Turkey, March 8, 2019. REUTERS/Kemal Aslan TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC1663BEFF40

Has misogyny become official state policy in Turkey?

With Turkish police canceling the International Women's Day march in Taksim at the last minute and the president using the drama as an electoral distraction, it's time to ask if misogyny has become an official state policy in Turkey.

Turkey’s incredible algorithm designed to root out Gulenists

Turkey is expanding its use of software that analyzes an exhaustive array of aspects of people's lives to determine whether they might be members of the Gulenist movement.

The social toll of Turkey’s emergency rule

Turkey’s state of emergency ended last year, but its victims continue to suffer, with many entertaining suicidal thoughts or aspiring to leave the country, according to a recent survey.

European Union Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu hold a news conference at the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium July 25, 2017. REUTERS/Eric Vidal TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC1571207A70

Ankara fumes as European Parliament votes to suspend EU talks

The European Parliament called on the European Union to halt membership negotiations with Turkey, citing a failure to respect the bloc’s standards on human rights, while Ankara accuses the legislators of giving in to right-wing populism.

Despite friction, Egypt retains economic ties with Turkey, Qatar

Some Egyptians have been calling for the government to seize Turkish and Qatari assets, but so far that hasn't seemed to sour foreigners on Egypt's investment offerings.

United Arab Emirates

How this online app gives gamers keys to Al-Aqsa

The new Protector of Al-Aqsa phone app seeks to familiarize younger generations with the role of this holy site in the Islamic heritage.

Mansur Yavas, the candidate of Turkey's opposition running for the office of mayor of Ankara in local elections gives a press conference, on March 12, 2019 in Ankara. - Turkish prosecutors have prepared on indictment against main opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP) Ankara mayoral candidate Mansur Yava? over claims the politician abused his powers while acting as an arbitrator in a legal dispute, Cumhuriyet newspaper reported on March 11, 2019. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo credit should re

Turkish opposition candidate faces allegations in lead-up to local elections

The favored candidate to become mayor of Ankara has been charged with professional misconduct as a lawyer, but it seems the attempt to discredit him hasn't worked as planned.

A Russian S-400 air defence mobile missile launching system takes part in a rehearsal for a military parade in Minsk June 26, 2014. Belarus will mark the 70th anniversary of the country's liberation from the Nazis on July 3. REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko (BELARUS - Tags: MILITARY ANNIVERSARY) - GM1EA6R03KP01

Turkey, US head to new crisis over Ankara’s S-400 purchase

Washington’s threats of dire consequences for Turkey if it goes ahead with the Russian air-defense deal are being disregarded by Ankara.

Palestinians pray as Israeli border police stand guard near the entrance door leading to the compound housing al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem's Old City March 12, 2019. REUTERS/Ammar Awad - RC1CD60A6C60

Netanyahu, King Abdullah in bind over Temple Mount

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Jordanian King Abdullah II share a similar dilemma: They both need for tensions on the Temple Mount to calm down, but cannot afford to appear as the weak side in this affair.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses a meeting of provincial election officials at the headquarters of his ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party in Ankara on January 29, 2019. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo credit should read ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Erdogan basing campaign on ploy of 'fake it till you make it'

Candidates representing the ruling party in Turkey's upcoming local elections are depending heavily on the president's popularity, which appears to be waning.

Members of Taksim solidarity platform pose in front of a banner reading "Darkness will go, Gezi will stay" on March 11, 2019 during a press conference in Istanbul. - Turkish activists at the forefront of the mass 2013 anti-government protests on March 11, 2019, rejected "irrational" and "unlawful" indictment targeting prominent Turkish businessman Osman Kavala and 15 others. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP) (Photo credit should read OZAN KOSE/AFP/Getty Images)

Turkish activists decry indictment seeking life sentences for Gezi protesters

Opposition figures are accused of trying to force out President Recep Tayyip Erdogan by leading demonstrations to save a park, yet they say the charges are an attempt to sway public opinion ahead of elections this month