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

Turkey

Turkey

May 12, 2026

Ankara 8:00 am

15°C

Turkish Red Crescent's cars and trucks cross the Turkish border as they leave the Syrian city of Tel Abyad on Oct. 19, 2019, in Akcakale, Turkey.

Turkey's border reopening unlocks new sphere of influence in Syria

Turkey reopened the Akcakale-Tell Abyad crossing on Monday, ending an 11-year closure along the Syria border.

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.

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

Modern Turkish baths not just for scrubbing

Turkish baths are enjoying a revival among trendy urbanites with modern amenities and services.

Holidaymakers rest at a beach in the resort town of Bodrum July 14, 2014. As families splash in the sea and lounge in the sun, thoughts of politics and civic duty are a world away for most Turks holidaying on the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts. Only the most committed opponents of Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan leave the beach to queue in a sweltering council building nearby to register to vote in next month's presidential election to prevent what they see as the country's slide towards authoritarianism. Th

Sales of Turkish property to foreign buyers reaches $4.3B in 2014

Foreign real estate purchases in Turkey have reached more than $16 billion over the past six years, hitting an all-time annual high last year.

Kurdish refugees from the Syrian town of Kobani wait to fill their jerrycans around a clean water source at a refugee camp in the border town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province February 1, 2015. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT) - RTR4NRVB

Turkey restricts academic research on Syrian refugees

Turkey's Interior Ministry now requires academics to get prior approval before conducting research on the country's 2 million Syrian refugees.

Pro-Islamist demonstrators hold a poster of former Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi during a rally in support of him in front of the Haghia Sophia museum at Sultanahmet square in Istanbul, Turkey, May 24, 2015. REUTERS/Yagiz Karahan TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX1ECGI

Morsi death sentence fuels media controversy

The death sentence against ousted Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi has sparked a fresh controversy in Turkey, stoking government pressure on already muzzled media outlets.

Supporters of Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu wave Turkish and AK Party flags during an election rally for Turkey's June 7 parliamentary elections in Istanbul, Turkey, May 17, 2015. REUTERS/Osman Orsal - RTX1DCCG

Erdogan’s presidential dreams hang by thread

With less than a fortnight left to go before the June 7 legislative polls, polls show that the Justice and Development Party's share of the vote will slip from the record 49% that it received in 2011.

Is Turkey arming radical groups in Syria?

A trial of gendarmerie officers and prosecutors in Istanbul is producing embarrassing revelations for the government.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu addresses AK Party' supporters during an election rally for Turkey's June 7 parliamentary elections in Istanbul, Turkey, May 17, 2015. REUTERS/Osman Orsal - RTX1DC5K

AKP claims God is on its side

Liberals and others should be concerned about AKP rhetoric proclaiming that God, the nation and history is on its side and that a vote for an opposing party is the mark of an infidel.

People stand by part of a Saudi fighter jet found in Bani Harith district north of Yemen's capital Sanaa May 24, 2015. Local media said that the Houthi rebels brought down a Saudi F-16 fighter jet north of Sanaa early on Sunday. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah - RTX1EAP8

Is Islamic State 'secondary priority' for Saudi Arabia?

Riyadh is preoccupied with the military campaign in Yemen; Velayati tells Lebanese officials there will be no deal on Assad; the Turkish opposition party is under attack ahead of June 7 elections.

A worker checks the chocolates on a production line at Konya Seker Sugar Factory in Cumra, a small town about 50km (31 miles) south of the central Anatolian city of Konya January 27, 2012. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: BUSINESS FOOD) - RTR2WYOX

Turkish NGO helps mothers return to work

Turkish women are poorly represented in the workforce, but a new foundation aims to change that.

Media mogul declares his 'masculine love' to Erdogan

Stiff competition among AKP partisans for extreme manifestations of adoration for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are rewarded in pre-election season.

Turkey can’t part with currency zeroes

Though Turkey wiped off six zeroes from its currency a decade ago, politicians stick to old figures, hoping for a stronger propaganda impact in the run-up to general elections.

Navy officers attend a delivery ceremony for the first nationally designed combat ship TCG Heybeliada at the Tuzla Naval shipyard in Istanbul September 27, 2011. REUTERS/Osman Orsal (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) - RTR2RWMP

Turkish navy outlines 2033 vision

The Turkish navy aims at becoming a major global force by 2033.