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Turkey

Turkey

May 11, 2026

Ankara 3:12 pm

22°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

Turkey, PKK clashes continue, but will there be a winner?

The spiral of violence that engulfed Turkey on July 20 is worsening by the day.

Did Jabhat al-Nusra kill 'allied' FSA Commander Radoon?

Responsibility for the assassination of Free Syrian Army Cmdr. Jamil Radoon Aug. 26 remains unclaimed, raising suspicions whether Jabhat al-Nusra could be behind this act.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani (R) is welcomed by Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan as he arrives for a meeting at Erdogan's office in Ankara June 9, 2014. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3SVX6

After tumultuous history, what's next for Turkish-Iranian relations?

For Turkey and Iran, preventing differences over regional issues from spilling into their bilateral relations will — now more than ever — be a balancing act.

Is Turkey heading toward civil war?

Following the deaths of 30 soldiers and police in PKK operations, a nationwide wave of attacks on Kurds has increased the risk of deepening ethnic strife and stoking renewed separatist sentiment.

Co-chairman of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party, Selahattin Demirtas walks with his party members to the southeastern town of Cizre, near Idil in Sirnak province, Turkey, September 10, 2015. Pro-Kurdish politicians, including cabinet ministers, attempted to march to a town in southeast Turkey on Thursday to protest a week-old curfew there, as their party came under fire from President Tayyip Erdogan and from a court investigation of their leader. Conflict between militants of the Kurdistan Workers

Can Turkey pull back from brink of civil conflict?

HDP Co-Chair Selahattin Demirtas' "civil war" warning may not be entirely overblown.

PKK's IED attacks catch Turkish military off guard

The majority of Turkish security forces killed fighting the Kurdistan Workers Party since early July have died in attacks using improvised explosive devices, a tactic the Turkish military had not anticipated.

A sailor looks at the Russian missile cruiser Moskva moored in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Sevastopol in this May 10, 2013 file photo. Russia is sending two warships to the east Mediterranean, Interfax news agency said on August 29, 2013, but Moscow denied this meant it was beefing up its naval force there as Western powers prepare for military action against Syria. Picture taken May 10, 2013. REUTERS/Stringer (UKRAINE - Tags: MILITARY POLITICS MARITIME CONFLICT) - RTX130BI

Russia's expanding military presence in Syria

Russia is apparently establishing its first air base in the Middle East, at Jableh, Syria, a move that would change the rules of the game in the region.

Struggling to keep up, conflict causes major economic setback in Turkey's poorest region

After several years of revival, the struggling economy of Turkey’s Kurdish-majority southeastern region faces collapse.

Erdogan continues to stir the pot in Turkey

Erdogan’s suggestion that if the AKP had gotten 400 deputies in the June elections, then the turmoil and violence in the country today would have been avoided, causes outrage and increases tensions.

Policewomen from Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team run in formation during a graduation performance after training as members of an anti-terrorist patrol team, in Hami, Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region June 29, 2014. Picture taken June 29, 2014. REUTERS/China Daily (CHINA - Tags: MILITARY CRIME LAW) CHINA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN CHINA - RTR3WKJW

How the Islamic State is exploiting Asian unrest to recruit fighters

Communication, trust and cooperation among governments and communities are required to prevent the spread of violent extremism and curb the flow of Islamic State recruits from Asia to the Middle East.

Smoke raises behind an Islamic State flag after Iraqi security forces and Shiite fighters took control of Saadiya in Diyala province from Islamist State militants, November 24, 2014. Iraqi forces said on Sunday they retook two towns north of Baghdad from Islamic State fighters, driving them from strongholds they had held for months and clearing a main road from the capital to Iran. There was no independent confirmation that the army, Shi'ite militia and Kurdish peshmerga forces had completely retaken Jalawl

How the Islamic State has helped the Middle East

The expansion of the Islamic State has forced regional powers to cooperate and is in fact strengthening state governance in the Middle East.

6 reasons why Turkey's war against the PKK won't last

There are six major reasons why Turkey's war with the PKK, which resumed July 24 after 2½ years of non-hostility, cannot be sustained.