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

Turkey

Turkey

September 20, 2026

Ankara 3:13 pm

23°C

Saudi-backed Yemeni government fighters

Analysis

Despite Mecca pact, Turkey rules out direct military role in Yemen

A Turkish official told Al-Monitor that Turkey will not directly intervene in the unfolding conflict between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Traders work at their desks on the floor of the Borsa Istanbul

Turkey detains finance executives amid market turmoil

Several prominent Turkish finance executives were swept up by authorities on Thursday amid efforts to contain a market rout that has exposed strains in the country’s investment-fund industry.

Vyacheslav PROKOFYEV / AFP via Getty Images

Turkey's Erdogan to run for 'final' third term in 2028, adviser says

If Turkey's parliament votes to move the next election up during President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s second term, he could constitutionally run for third.

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.

Latest News

Analysis

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

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

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

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

El Alamein International Airshow

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

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Saudi King Salman shake hands during a ceremony in Ankara, Turkey April 12, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTX29KUO

Erdogan courts King Salman as new BFF

Even if Saudi King Salman Abdul-Aziz Al Saud fails to broker a rapprochement between Egypt and Turkey, he still shares many commonalities with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, not least their irritation with the US leadership.

Fighters from the Democratic Forces of Syria drive to position themselves in Ghazila village after taking control of the town from Islamic State forces in the southern countryside of Hasaka, Syria February 17, 2016. Picture taken February 17, 2016. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RTX27JLU

Battle lines shift in northern Syria

Eyes are focused on the Syrian-Turkish border after the FSA factions and Syrian Democratic Forces launched their offensives, which points at an imminent final and decisive offensive against IS.

What Turkey’s new Central Bank chief means for the economy

In a first for Turkey, an Islamic finance professional has been named Central Bank governor amid questions of whether the appointment is linked to Erdogan’s war on interest rates.

Turkey plays both sides in Iran, Saudi conflict

Does Turkey courting Iran and Saudi Arabia simultaneously mean Ankara is moving away from Sunni-based policies?

A member of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces stands guard at a security point on Bashiqa mountain, overlooking Islamic State held territories of Mosul, 12 km northeast of Mosul City, March 7, 2015. REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY CONFLICT) - RTR4SF1J

Why the PKK is so interested in Mosul

The PKK is looking to join the Iraqi army and the Kurdistan Regional Government to liberate Mosul.

Police officers carry security barriers in front of the Zaman newspaper headquarters in Istanbul, Turkey March 6, 2016. REUTERS/ Osman Orsal - RTS9ILE

Turkey witnesses 'unprecedented onslaught on critical media'

Since coming to power in 2002, Turkey’s ruling party has employed unprecedented means to expand pro-government media and curb critical media, acting in cooperation with crony businessmen and using public funds.

Kurdish demonstrators gather behind a barricade as they clash with Turkish riot police during a protest against the curfew in Sur district, in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir, Turkey, February 21, 2016. REUTERS/Sertac Kayar - RTX27Y46

April showers bring … growing violence in southeast Turkey?

Both the Turkish government and the Kurdistan Workers Party are feverishly preparing for expected heavy clashes in the spring.

Will government seize Turkey's largest bank?

Isbank, Turkey's largest private bank, is seen as a government takeover target.

What’s in store for the future of journalism in Turkey?

Cengiz Candar says he is retiring from journalism in Turkey in a farewell article published by Radikal on April 6 after the publication abruptly shut down.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) gives a thumbs-up as Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi (R) welcomes him at the prime minister's palace in Baghdad April 8, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RTSE5GF

The collapse of Iraq's Shiite alliance

Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr co-opts popular reform movement; Erdogan’s bid for empowered presidency linked to war with PKK; Turkey feels pressure to intensify fight against Islamic State; Backlash over Egyptian government crackdown on media.

The lobby of the CIA Headquarters Building in McLean, Virginia, August 14, 2008. REUTERS/Larry Downing (UNITED STATES) - RTR21464

Pro-Erdogan media take precautions against Panama Papers

Vladimir Putin and his supporters are not the only ones who see a CIA conspiracy behind the Panama Papers.

Why the Turkish government seized this Armenian church

The Justice and Development Party’s rhetoric and legislation differ on the expropriation of Armenian churches in Sur, causing further frustration among locals and diaspora Armenians.