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

Turkey

Turkey

May 9, 2026

Ankara 1:57 pm

20°C

MURAT KOCABAS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Culture

How ‘dog mom’ vacuum cleaner ad sparked culture war in Turkey

A Mother’s Day advertisement featuring a “dog mom” triggered a backlash from conservative media, government officials and regulators, turning a soft consumer campaign into a flashpoint over motherhood, declining birth rates, stray dogs and even antisemitism.

People look at a drone on display at the Baykar exhibit at the SAHA International Defence and Aerospace Expo on May 06, 2026 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Turkey, Japan launch defense industry partnership with eye on drones

The initiative could eventually lead to joint UAV development and production as Japan looks to expand drone capabilities amid regional tensions.

Latest News

Saudi FM in Turkey as Ankara, Riyadh step up coordination amid Iran war

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara, May 6, 2026.

Turkey, Armenia agree to restore medieval bridge in normalization push

A picture taken near Kars on Feb. 28, 2024 shows the ruins of a bridge over Arpacay river, the natural border between Turkey and Armenia.

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

Is Turkey hiding alien encounters?

The number of UFO sightings over Turkey has significantly increased in the past few years, with some Turkish Airlines pilots convinced that the bright lights in the Turkish airspace are in fact UFOs.

Rached Ghannouchi, leader of the Islamist Ennahda movement, speaks during the movement's congress in Tunis, Tunisia May 20, 2016. REUTERS/ Zoubeir Souissi - RTSF8BG

Is Ennahda following in AKP footsteps?

Similar to the AKP's founders, Tunisia’s Ennahda is now seeking to enter a post-Islamist era.

Syria’s Qamishli a window onto Turkish-Kurdish conflict across border

For months, residents of a northern Syrian city have watched helplessly as their neighbors and fellow Kurds battle Turkish forces across the border.

How a US prosecutor is jolting Turkish markets

US prosecutor Preet Bharara’s probe into the dealings of a Turkish-Iranian businessman has both political and financial repercussions in Turkey.

How Turkey's spies found new ways to escape oversight

Even as rumors continue as to who will replace Hakan Fidan, Turkey's national intelligence chief, the Turkish spy has found ways to expand his political power.

Erdogan engineers his own conquest of Istanbul

The 563rd celebration of Istanbul's conquest was overblown, much like the omnipresent pictures of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's head on giant posters.

Turkey faces multiple dilemmas in Syria

Ankara’s Kurdish phobia underlies its inability to come up with realistic strategies that will also serve its own long-term security interests.

Turkey's latest 'civilian coup'

A civilian takeover of the top management of OYAK, a company owned by Turkish military personnel, has raised questions.

Children inspect a damaged site after explosions hit a bus station in the Syrian city of Jableh May 23, 2016. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki - RTSFL9Y

Can US, Turkey keep up appearances in Syria?

Russia weighs escalation in Syria; CENTCOM commander seeks to balance Turkey, Syrian Kurds in campaign against Islamic State; return to Sur.

Can raw meat dish rescue Turkey from export slump?

By aggressively marketing raw “meat” ball appetizers to Europe and China, Turkey hopes to find new sources of foreign currency.

Is this the last nail in coffin of women, minors' rights in Turkey?

An AKP-led parliamentary commission releases a draft report on how to protect the sanctity of the family in Turkey by providing controversial suggestions.

Back home after clashes, Kurds in Turkey's Sur find only debris

Some look for their homes, others for the bodies of relatives as Kurdish civilians are finally allowed to return to devastated neighborhoods in Diyarbakir after months of clashes between Kurdish militants and the security forces.