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Turkey

Turkey

May 13, 2026

Ankara 1:10 am

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The helicopter of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lands on Abdulhamid Han drill ship, the fourth built by Turkey, in Mersin on Aug. 9, 2022, before being sent for gas exploration to an undisputed area in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Gazipasa.

New Turkey maritime draft bill fuels EastMed tensions with Greece, Cyprus

Turkey’s draft maritime bill seeks to formalize Ankara’s claims in the Aegean, Eastern Mediterranean and Black seas, raising tensions with Greece and Cyprus over contested maritime boundaries and offshore energy rights.

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

Latest News

Culture

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

MURAT KOCABAS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

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

A rebel fighter carries his weapon as he walks in front of a rainbow in Ratian village, north of Aleppo, after what the rebels said was an offensive against them by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad that attempted to advance in the village but failed to February 18, 2015. Battles in and around the Syrian city of Aleppo have killed at least 70 pro-government fighters and more than 80 insurgents after the army launched an offensive there, a monitoring group said on Wednesday. Picture taken Feb

Syrian army's advances near border rattle Ankara

If the Syrian regime army captures Aleppo, the Turkish border will come under heavy pressure.

CHICAGO - NOVEMBER 04: U.S. President elect Barack Obama and his wife Michelle wave to the crowd as they walk off stage after Obama gave his victory speech during an election night gathering in Grant Park on November 4, 2008 in Chicago, Illinois. Obama defeated Republican nominee Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) by a wide margin in the election to become the first African-American U.S. President elect. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Turkish opposition party recruits Obama pollster

Keen to unseat the ruling party in the June 7 polls, the Republican People's Party has recruited the Benenson Strategy Group, a US company that crafted President Barack Obama’s campaign.

High school students wearing Guy Fawkes masks take part in a protest against the education policies of the ruling AK Party in Istanbul February 13, 2015. Education is the latest flashpoint between the administration of President Tayyip Erdogan, and secularist Turks who accuse him of overseeing creeping 'Islamisation' in the NATO member state. Parts of some regular schools have been requisitioned to create more places for students in "Imam Hatip" religious schools championed by Erdogan, where girls and boys

Erdogan's 'New Turkey' much like the old

The Turkish government’s narrative of a “New Turkey” facing counterrevolutionary “internal enemies” is hardly different from the Kemalist narrative that Turkey’s Islamists resisted for decades.

Has AKP sacrificed Turkey's Ottoman heritage?

Shoddy conditions at the new Ottoman Archives building in Istanbul stand to weaken the conservative credentials of the Justice and Development Party.

A rebel fighter prepares cameras ahead of firing mortars towards forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in the village of Tshalma near the Armenian Christian town of Kasab May 26, 2014. REUTERS/Alaa Khweled (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT) - RTR3QYIQ

Wiretaps reveal Turkey's attacks on Syrian regime positions

Court documents reveal that last year, when the Syrian opposition captured the Armenian town of Kassab, the Turkish army shelled the Syrian army.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends a wreath-laying ceremony at the Ninos Heroes monument at Chapultepec Park in Mexico City February 12, 2015. Erdogan is in Mexico for an official visit. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido (MEXICO - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR4PCV0

Some see snubs, Erdogan sees envy

While Erdogan remains unconcerned, diplomats say Turkey's isolation is hurting the country.

Shi'ite men attend an Ashura procession in Istanbul November 24, 2012. Ashura, the most important day in the Shi'ite calendar, commemorates the death of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Mohammad, in the seventh century battle of Kerbala. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY - Tags: ANNIVERSARY RELIGION) - RTR3ATPL

Fear of Shiites on the rise in Turkey

The Justice and Development Party government is indifferent to the increase in Shiite-phobia in Turkey.

Turkish soldiers take position as they clash with Turkish Kurdish protesters near the Mursitpinar border crossing on the Turkish-Syrian border in the Turkish town of Suruc in southeastern Sanliurfa province October 4, 2014. Turkish security forces broke up a pro-Kurdish demonstration on the Turkish-Syrian border which was in solidarity with Syrian Kurds. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY - Tags: MILITARY POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT) - RTR48X8N

What's next for Hakan Fidan?

Turkey's recently resigned intelligence czar Hakan Fidan is widely expected to found a new National Security Ministry and redesign the country’s entire security apparatus.

United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura (L) and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attend a meeting in Moscow, October 21, 2014. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR4AYVB

UN, Russia take lead in Syria diplomacy

Russia-Egypt ties enter "new phase"; UN and Russian initiatives offer only hope so far for Syria political settlement; Erdogan promotes the "Internal Security Law."

Turkey's President-elect Tayyip Erdogan (L) shakes hands with incoming prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu during the Extraordinary Congress of the ruling AK Party (AKP) in Ankara August 27, 2014. Erdogan said on Wednesday he would ask incoming prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu to form a new government on Thursday, and a new cabinet of ministers would be announced the following day. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR43YZA

Turkey spy chief’s resignation: power play or family feud?

Is there a Davutoglu-Fidan alliance in the making against Erdogan?

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan gestures during a conference at the Foreign Affairs building in Mexico City February 12, 2015. Erdogan is in Mexico for an official visit. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido (MEXICO - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR4PE4X

Erdogan jabs at Obama in calculated move

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan used his recent visit to Latin America to make his claim to leadership of the Muslim world.

Matt Groening (C), creator of The Simpsons, poses with characters from the show (L-R) Homer, Bart, Lisa, Marge and Maggie at the 20th anniversary party for the television series at Barker hangar in Santa Monica, California October 18, 2009. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni (UNITED STATES ENTERTAINMENT) - RTXPRYH

Turkish media watchdog scrutinizes 'The Simpsons'

Turkey’s broadcasting review board has become a key tool in the government's efforts to police morality.