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

Turkey

Turkey

November 8, 2026

Ankara 6:46 pm

4°C

MEHMET ESER/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

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

Democratic control of Congress complicates Turkey’s push for F-35s and sanctions relief, but Ankara remains hopeful Trump can still broker a deal.

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

The Costa Rican candidate received 12 encourage votes in Thursday's UN Security Council straw poll.

United Arab Emirates

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.

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

Turkey will now decide the scope of military support for Saudi Arabia amid ongoing Iran-backed Houthi attacks on the kingdom.

Latest News

Can Erdogan’s Baku visit fix Turkey-Azerbaijan rift?

TOFIK BABAYEV/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey says soldier killed by gunfire from Iran at border: What to know

A sign marking the border of Turkey in Van, Turkey, on March 14, 2026.

Turkey probes Google’s AI search tools, orders protections for news websites

Turkey moves PKK leader Ocalan to prison villa as peace process faces new test

A protestor holds a flag bearing a portrait of jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) Abdullah Ocalan during a demonstration of Kurdish people from all around Europe to mark the 27th anniversary of his arrest and to demand his liberation, in Strasbourg, Eastern France, on Feb. 14, 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 attends a news conference at Huber Mansion†in Istanbul, Turkey March 31, 2019. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC1555E30F00

As AKP loses big cities, has Erdogan overplayed his hand?

In an interview with Al-Monitor, American social anthropologist Jenny White describes the challenges that lie ahead for the abashed ruling party and the triumphant opposition after Turkey's electoral upset.

Ekrem Imamoglu, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) candidate for mayor of Istanbul, visits Anitkabir, the mausoleum of modern Turkey's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, as he is flanked by his family members and supporters in Ankara, Turkey, April 2, 2019. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC192AED7890

Turkey’s milestone elections shatter Erdogan’s air of invincibility

Turkey's local elections on March 31 broke the glass ceiling for the Turkish opposition, ending the perception that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is invincible.

Supporters of Republican People's Party (CHP) celebrate on a main square in Ankara, Turkey, April 1, 2019. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC1DFFF7A1F0

Turkey's ruling AKP loses Ankara, Istanbul as opposition springs to life

Turkey's ruling party lost big in the municipal elections and the main opposition party took Ankara and Istanbul, which the Justice and Development Party and its Islamist forerunners had controlled for the past 25 years.

People queue to vote at a polling station during the municipal elections in Istanbul, Turkey, March 31, 2019. REUTERS/Huseyin Aldemir - RC19D7442440

Intel: How Turkey's local elections mark rebuke for Erdogan's one-man rule

Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party appears to have lost control of city hall in Ankara and may lose Istanbul as well, where unofficial results put the opposition slightly ahead.

Syria's Kurds increasingly isolated as Arab tribes cut deals with regime

As Damascus recovers more territory, Arab tribes throughout Syria are increasingly open to working with Damascus to restore security.

As tensions rise with Israel, PA halts medical transfers

The Palestinian Health Ministry in Ramallah decided to halt the transfer of patients from the West Bank to Israeli hospitals — an expense the PA covers — after Israel slashed the PA's budget amid rising tensions.

A general view shows the town of Majdal Shams near the ceasefire line between Israel and Syria in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights March 25, 2019. REUTERS/Ammar Awad - RC1195E40A50

Did Trump’s decision on Golan undercut Putin mediation on Syria?

Russian President Vladimir Putin thought he had a deal in Helsinki; Turkey rethinks Syria ties over Kurds.

People walk past an election poster bearing the picture of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and reading "Istanbul is a love story for us", in front of the Hagia Sophia museum in Istanbul, on March 26, 2019, ahead of March 31 local elections. - Turkish President on March 24 mooted the possibility of renaming Istanbul's Hagia Sofia museum as a mosque, in comments during a television interview. The museum, a UNESCO World Heritage site, receives millions of visitors every year. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AF

What caused Erdogan’s change of heart on Hagia Sophia?

Turkey’s president has pledged to change the status of Istanbul’s landmark Hagia Sophia to a mosque, going back on his previous objections to such a move and raising questions whether the pledge is merely a populist gesture ahead of elections or something more.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey Mevlut Cavusoglu meets Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Istanbul, Turkey October 27, 2018. Cem Oskuz/Pool via REUTERS - RC1FE28A77A0

Russian foreign minister heads to Turkey to seal visa deal

The Turkish and Russian foreign ministers will meet in Antalya Friday to discuss a range of topics as a controversial missile deal between Ankara and Moscow threatens to further deteriorate Turkey-US ties.

A Syrian army soldier stands at a checkpoint at the Quneitra crossing between the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights and Syria, seen from the Syrian side in Quneitra, Syria March 26, 2019. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki - RC1B4F2B5A00

Iran’s seeming restraint on Golan Heights puts Arab rivals in tough spot

Iran’s adoption of a low-profile position on Trump’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights appears to be a calculated move to maximize Iran's regional interests.

New crossing aims to restore Aleppo’s economic status

Civilians and traders in northern Syria hope commercial activities will resume there now that the Abu al-Zandeen crossing is open, linking regime-controlled territory to Turkish-backed opposition areas for the first time.

A woman walks past a banner for the upcoming local elections in Ankara, Turkey, March 27, 2019. Banner with pictures of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Devlet Bahceli, leader of Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), reads: "People's Alliance: The unity of common sense." REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC14BCF5B7C0

Turkey's endless election cycle

With Turkey's imminent local elections, the opposition camp is split between hopeful optimists and cynical pessimists.