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Turkey

Turkey

May 11, 2026

Ankara 9:06 am

17°C

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - MAY 06: A man poses for a photograph in front of the newly unveiled, Turkish made intercontinental ballistic missile Yildirimhan at the SAHA International Defence and Aerospace Expo on May 06, 2026 in Istanbul, Turkey. The International Defence and Aerospace Exhibition, showcased Turkish and foreign companies new products and technology. The expo was dominated by UAV products as modern warfare increasingly shifts to drone and unmanned technologies. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Analysis

From drones to deterrence: Turkey's ICBM missile signals bigger ambitions

Turkey’s planned test of a 6,000-kilometer missile could boost Ankara’s defense industry prestige, strengthen its deterrence messaging and feed a powerful domestic narrative of technological self-reliance, but it also raises questions about cost, timing and NATO protection.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

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.

Latest News

Turkey, Japan launch defense industry partnership with eye on drones

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.

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.

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

Terror in Turkey

Unless Turkey changes priorities, it will be more vulnerable to Islamic State attacks.

Turkey’s plane project hits turbulence

Technical, economic and political problems threaten TRJet, Turkey’s first passenger plane.

Turkish Defence Minister Mehmet Vecdi Gonul (front R) waits for the start of a NATO defence ministers meeting at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium October 8, 2015. NATO said it was prepared to send troops to Turkey to defend its ally after violations of Turkish airspace by Russian jets bombing Syria and Britain scolded Moscow for escalating a civil war that has already killed 250,000 people. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir - RTS3J5P

Once-frosty Erdogan warms up to NATO

Russia’s military intervention in Syria is forcing Turkey's president to acknowledge he needs NATO.

Children play between damaged building after a security operation in Sur district in the Kurdish dominated southeastern city of Diyarbakir, Turkey, October 13, 2015. A top Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) commander was quoted on Monday as saying the group would stick to a unilateral ceasefire announced at the weekend despite Turkish air strikes against its positions in southeast Turkey and northern Iraq. Unrest continued elsewhere in the mainly Kurdish region, with the historic Sur district of Diyarbakir city

PKK declares unilateral cease-fire, hopes the 10th time's a charm

Heeding calls by Kurdish politicians and civil society, the PKK announced a unilateral cease-fire ahead of the Nov. 1 elections, but Ankara continues to target the militants.

Why is Turkey's government choosing to protect itself instead of its citizens?

The Turkish government is so busy trying to protect itself, it might be neglecting to protect its citizens adequately.

Amnesty International accuses Kurdish YPG of war crimes

Amnesty International is accusing the autonomous Kurdish administration in northern Syria of committing war crimes.

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan makes his speech during a rally against recent Kurdish militant attacks on Turkish security forces in Istanbul, Turkey, September 20, 2015. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu attended the rally with the slogan "millions of people with a single voice against terror" at central Istanbul. REUTERS/Murad Sezer TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTS20OA

Turkish parties large-handed in election pledges

The election pledges of Turkish parties strain the limits of both the imagination and the budget.

A Turkish flag flies at the HSBC headquarters in Istanbul, Turkey, June 9, 2015. HSBC will shed almost 50,000 jobs and take an ax to its investment bank, cutting the assets of Europe's biggest lender by a quarter in a bid to simplify and improve its sluggish performance. The bank said on Tuesday about half the staff cuts will come from the sale of businesses in Brazil and Turkey. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RTX1FRE5

Tough times ahead for Turkey's economy

Warned about their mounting foreign debts, Turkish companies are having problems finding external financing.

Netanyahu weighs more aggressive action as Hamas leader backs 'intifada'

The Israeli prime minister is under pressure from the Israeli right as Israeli-Palestinian violence escalates; Syrian Kurdish leaders back Russian intervention to battle the Islamic State.

Fighters of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) patrol in the streets of the northern Syrian town of Kobani January 28, 2015. Kurdish forces battled Islamic State fighters outside Kobani on Tuesday, a monitoring group said, a day after Kurds said they had taken full control of the northern Syrian town following a four-month battle. Known as Ayn al-Arab in Arabic, the mainly Kurdish town close to the Turkish border has become a focal point in the international fight against Islamic State, an al Qaeda

US to arm Syrian Kurds, rebel groups fighting IS

The Pentagon will pause its beleaguered Syria train and equip program to instead provide arms and air support to Syrian Kurdish and Arab rebel groups already fighting the Islamic State.

Syria's increasingly congested skies

In addition to warplanes over Syria, cruise missiles are now carving out airspace.

Grew up Kurdish, forced to be Turkish, now called Armenian

When loose-talking Turkish officials toss around the word "Armenian" like it's a slur, they incite further hatred toward minorities.