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

Turkey

Turkey

May 11, 2026

Ankara 11:49 am

21°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

The changing fabric of foreign companies in Turkey

The number of European companies in Turkey has stagnated, while the number of Asian companies is booming.

For Turkey’s Greek minority, an island school provides fresh hope

A Greek school on an Aegean island in Turkey has reopened after half a century, raising hopes that Turkey’s dwindling Greek minority will escape extinction.

PYD leader: Russia will stop Turkey from intervening in Syria

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, PYD leader Salih Muslim says Russia will prevent Turkey from intervening in Syria.

Is Turkey's military returning to politics?

There are many and varied opinions about whether the military plans to intervene in Turkey's politics.

Davutoglu proposes refugee 'container city'

Davutoglu, while advocating a container city for refugees in a safe zone, is ignoring the serious risks it would entail.

Farhat Amat, a fighter from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), guards a cemetery in the remote Qandil mountains near the Iraq-Iran border in Sulaimaniya, 330 km (205 miles) northeast of Baghdad, July 15, 2007. Amat takes care of the site, which holds 67 graves of PKK fighters killed in the movement's guerrilla war for a Kurdish state. Picture taken July 15, 2007. To match feature IRAQ/TURKEY REUTERS/Shamal Aqrawi (IRAQ) - RTR1S4KZ

Why have PKK cemeteries become a target?

Kurdish militants in Turkey are accused of using cemeteries as military bases and ammunition depots.

Jamal Zahalka (C), an Israeli-Arab lawmaker from the Joint Arab List, is taken out of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech as he presents his new coalition government following the mid-March general elections, in Jerusalem May 14, 2015. Netanyahu's new rightist coalition government, hobbled from the outset by its razor-thin parliamentary majority, was sworn in late on Thursday amid wrangling within his Likud party over cabinet posts. REUETRS/Jim Holl

Why one Arab Knesset member provoked Israeli police on the Temple Mount

The outburst by Knesset member Jamal Zahalka on the Temple Mount this week reveals the dangerous game he is playing at the sacred site, staging himself as a victim while world leaders gather at UN headquarters.

A Kurdish refugee woman from the Syrian town of Kobani walks with her children at a refugee camp in the border town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province November 17, 2014. REUTERS/Osman Orsal (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CONFLICT) - RTR4EES6

Turkey's Middle East policy 'fiasco'

Ankara wants to set up three cities for refugees on the Syrian side of the border with EU funds, but suspicions linger about its true intentions.

Pedal power gets Turkish makeover

Turkish activists put heels on wheels to encourage women to ride bicycles for transportation, health, empowerment and a cleaner environment.

What's in store for the future of Turkish-Israeli relations?

After trying to mend Israeli-Turkish relations and ahead of the Turkish general elections set for November, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reverted to attacking Israel.

Will Russia’s move ruin Erdogan’s plan for Syria?

Will Turkey’s rules of engagement against Syrian planes now apply to Russian planes flying near the Turkish border?

A general view shows St George church, the principal Greek Orthodox cathedral, during the Divine Liturgy on November 30, 2014 in Istanbul as part of the Pope Francis' three day visit in Turkey. Pope Francis held an ecumenical prayer, yesterday, in the Orthodox Church of St. George and a private meeting with Patriarch Bartholomew I, the "first among equals" of the world's estimated 300 million Orthodox believers. In a highly symbolic gesture, the pope asked Bartholomew to kiss his brow in a blessing and bowe

Turkey’s non-Muslims demand apology from Ankara

On the 60th anniversary of the Istanbul pogroms, Turkey’s exiled minorities and their descendants are demanding acknowledgment and restitution from the Turkish state.