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

Turkey

Turkey

August 26, 2026

Ankara 2:23 am

22°C

Omer Messinger/Getty Images

Top EU court says Kavala case exposes erosion of judicial independence in Turkey

Europe's top human rights court has renewed its call for Turkey to immediately release jailed philanthropist Osman Kavala, saying his imprisonment reflects a broader “systemic problem” over independence and impartiality of the judiciary.

Equality and Democracy Party lawmakers

Explainer

Turkey’s Kurdish peace process moves to implementation: What to know and what’s next

Turkey’s peace process with Kurdish militants has entered the implementation phase this week, with authorities setting up working groups to verify the Kurdistan Workers Party’s disarmament.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani (C) watches as US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack prepares to sign an agreement in Damascus on September 16, 2025. Shaibani announced on September 16 a plan backed by Jordan and the United States to restore calm to Druze-majority Sweida province, which witnessed deadly violence in July. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP) (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty Images)

Exclusive

Israel recalibrates Syria policy, explores path to security deal

Israel is rethinking its hard-line Syria policy and seeking to repair ties with US envoy and Donald Trump's confidant Tom Barrack amid a push for a security agreement with Damascus.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Latest News

Analysis

Why Turkey sees Israeli strikes in Syria as warning over its military role, Mecca Pact

A Turkish soldier from the 1st Border Regiment Command looks out over the border wall to Syria during alert drills at a military outpost on the Turkey/Syria border on March 2, 2017 in Kilis, Turkey.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Analysis

Turkey bets on US deconfliction as Israel widens Syria red lines

Turkey/Syria border

Ezgi Akin

Rina Bassist

By Ezgi Akin , Rina Bassist

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

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan shake hands during a news conference following their talks in Sochi, Russia September 17, 2018. Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool via REUTERS - UP1EE9H1AY90W

Civilians in Syria's Idlib welcome truce, hoping it holds

The Free Syrian Army and civilians in rebel-held Idlib province are grateful for a reprieve from the regime offensive.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel greets Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the beginning of the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, July 7, 2017. REUTERS/Bernd Von Jutrczenka/POOL - RC16778A3FD0

Erdogan warms to Germans ahead of trip, but Berlin visit may disappoint

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s hopeful talk en route to Berlin via New York this week is premature, as his visit has sharply divided Germany and the large Turkish population that lives there.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas is accompanied by his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu as he visits Turkish Parliament in Ankara, Turkey September 5, 2018. Adem Altan/Pool via Reuters - RC1A3DB5E230

Turkey, Germany try to turn new page in name of mutual interests

The atmosphere is positive going into the Turkish president's visit to Berlin, though the path to fully normalized Turkish-German ties remains strewn with pitfalls.

Turkish anti-narcotics police officers search a house during a drug raid in Istanbul, Turkey, January 16, 2018. REUTERS/Osman Orsal - RC1ED4104A00

Turkey tackles extensive synthetic drug troubles

Bonsai, a synthetic cannabis, has become one of the most popular — and dangerous — drugs in Turkey.

Why Turkey’s new economic program failed to impress

The Turkish government’s hallmark rejection of self-criticism affects consistency and realism in its diagnoses of economic woes and the remedies it plans.

A picture taken on March 20, 2018 shows an Airbus plane on the tarmac at the airport in the Iraqi Kurdish city of Sulaimaniyah, three months after the lifting of a ban on international flights.
Iraqi authorities had announced on March 13 the lifting of a nearly six-month air blockade imposed on Iraqi Kurdistan in response to its holding of an independence referendum. / AFP PHOTO / SHWAN MOHAMMED (Photo credit should read SHWAN MOHAMMED/AFP/Getty Images)

Turkey extends flight ban to Sulaimaniyah

Turkey seems to be expressing its opposition to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan's candidate for the Iraqi presidency by extending its ban on flights to Sulaimaniyah, but the move may represent the extent of Ankara's influence over political machinations in Baghdad.

How Syrian artists are livening up Turkey’s art scene

Syrian artists who have come to Turkey found it difficult to find platforms to showcase their work, but this may be changing slowly.

Putin grants Erdogan last chance to end Idlib quagmire on Turkey’s terms

Erdogan saves face in Sochi; did Turkey and Syria collaborate to capture Reyhanli terrorist?; Erdogan, Ocalan and Syria.

Turkish Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak is pictured before an interview with Reuters in Istanbul, Turkey September 2, 2018.Picture taken September 2, 2018. REUTERS/Osman Orsal - RC1137FA4650

Turkey downsizes economic growth outlook as crisis bites

Turkish Finance Minister Berat Albayrak has unveiled a much anticipated plan to rescue Turkey from its economic woes, pledging to adhere to stricter fiscal policy and focus on financial stability.

Protesters watch a film in Gezi park in Istanbul's Taksim square early June 14, 2013. Turkish protesters said on Friday Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan had pledged not to push ahead with plans to redevelop an Istanbul park until a court ruled on the project, in what they heralded as a positive sign after two weeks of protest. REUTERS/Osman Orsal (TURKEY - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS) - GM1E96E10DE01

'Gezi generation' flees Turkey

Well-educated, qualified young people from Turkey’s “Gezi generation,” which led mass anti-government protests in the summer of 2013, are increasingly emigrating to the West, having lost hope in the future of their country.

A man holds a flag with a picture of imprisoned Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan during a gathering to celebrate Newroz, which marks the arrival of spring and the new year, in Istanbul, Turkey March 21, 2018. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC1FB1A51280

Fate of jailed Kurdish leader questioned as Turkey shuns peace

As a showdown looms in Idlib between Syrian government forces and Turkish-backed opposition rebels, Ankara faces the prospect of further turmoil, while long-stalled Turkish-Kurdish talks seem unlikely to be revived nearly 20 years after Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan was jailed.

Turkish court keeps former NASA scientist in prison

NASA scientist Serkan Golge, in jail on coup-plot charges, lost an initial appeal to a Turkish court. His wife believes he is a captive in Ankara’s feud with Washington, which has flexed diplomatic and economic muscle to free another jailed American.