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Turkey

Turkey

May 18, 2026

Ankara 8:02 am

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Ships navigate the Bosphorus Strait on May 02, 2026 in Istanbul, Turkey. Since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war against Iran, forcing the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and together with the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, global shipping routes have been severely impacted. Soaring shipping costs, lengthening delivery times and less efficient routes have seen increased pressure on energy markets and supply chains worldwide. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Analysis

Why Turkey sees opportunity in Hormuz crisis to boost Middle Corridor

Ankara seeks to exploit transport disruptions from the Iran, Ukraine wars to push the corridor, but high costs, logistical bottlenecks and South Caucasus politics pose obstacles.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Mazloum Kobane, commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), speaks during the pan-Kurdish "Unity and Consensus" conference in Qamishli in northeastern Syria on April 26, 2025.

Interview

Syrian Kurdish commander Kobane says Turkey visit ‘in the making,’ Ocalan meeting possible

The SDF commander-in-chief reflected on a fragile integration deal with Damascus, growing Kurdish backlash and ongoing talks with Turkey as questions mount over Rojava’s political future.

Mazloum Kobane

Mazloum Kobane

SDF commander in chief

Latest News

Turkey, Armenia to launch direct trade in normalization push: What to know

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, and Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan shake hands before a meeting at Prague Castle in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022.

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

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.

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

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.

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's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan addresses members of parliament from his ruling AK Party (AKP) during a meeting at the Turkish parliament in Ankara June 25, 2013. Turkish anti-terrorism police detained 20 people in raids in the capital Ankara on Tuesday in connection with weeks of anti-government protests across the country, media reports said. The unrest began at the end of May when police used force against campaigners opposed to plans to redevelop a central Istanbul park. The protest spiralled int

Erdogan Considers Israeli Strikes on Syria

While the Turkish government keeps silent about the Israeli airstrikes in Syria, which may be the right course, Turkey’s regional policies hang in the balance, writes Tulin Daloglu.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) meets with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan at Ankara Palace in Ankara, March 1, 2013. Kerry said on Friday the United States found a comment by Turkey's prime minister, likening Zionism to crimes against humanity, "objectionable", overshadowing their talks on the crisis in neighbouring Syria. REUTERS/Jacquelyn Martin/Pool (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3EG8P

If Turkey Does Not Change Its Syria Policy …

If Turkey doesn't change its partisan, sectarian approach to Syria, it will provoke further sectarian tensions among armed groups in Turkey and the region, writes Kadri Gursel.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan makes a speech during the Global Alcohol Policy Symposium in Istanbul April 26, 2013. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY - Tags: HEALTH POLITICS) - RTXZ13M

Is Erdogan Calling for Jihad In Turkey?

Prime Minister Erdogan's May 5 speech, with its religious imagery and outrage about events in Syria, could be seen as a rallying cry for a Turkish religious obligation to fight the regime, writes Pinar Tremblay.

A view shows part of Mount Qassioun and part of Damascus city, in this photo taken from the Syrian cabinet building May 5, 2013. Syrian Information Minister Omran Zoabi said on Sunday that Israeli air strikes against three targets on the outskirts of Damascus "open the door to all possibilities." REUTERS/Khaled al-Hariri (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CONFLICT) - RTXZBD8

Do the US, Iran Agree on Red Line For Syrian Chemical Weapons?

The US and Israel escalate the war in Syria; Russia, Iran, Hezbollah, Khaled Meshaal; and Al-Monitor launches Iran Pulse.

A Free Syrian Army fighter sits on sandbags in the refugee camp of Yarmouk, near Damascus, May 5, 2013. REUTERS/Ward Al-Keswani (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTXZBH6

Israel Hits Syria, Sends Message to Iran

Israel believes that its airstrikes on Damascus are being considered with concern in Iran, writes Ben Caspit.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan leaves his seat to address members of parliament from the ruling AK Party (AKP) during a meeting at the Turkish parliament in Ankara February 19, 2013. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3DZE4

Turkish Parliament Faces Deadline On Draft Constitution

Cornered by Prime Minister Erdogan's electoral calendar, Cemil Cicek announced a deadline for the Parliamentary Constitution Reconciliation Commission to finalize its work, writes Tulin Daloglu.

Members of the left wing Turkish group hold a national flag as they march to the U.S. embassy to protest against the visit of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in Ankara, on Agust 11, 2012. Fresh sanctions slapped by the United States are meant to "expose and disrupt" links between Iran, Lebanon's armed Hezbollah movement and Syria, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Saturday. AFP PHOTO/STR (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/GettyImages)

Turkey's Liberal Divide

Mustafa Akyol analyzes the state of the left in Turkey and the issues that divide it.

Journalists and activists participate in a rally calling for press freedom in central Ankara March 19, 2011. The recent arrest and jailing of some 10 journalists as part of investigations into Ergenekon, an ultra-nationalist, secularist network opposed to Prime Minister's Tayyip Erdogan's rule, has a triggered expressions of concern from the European Union, the U.S. and human rights groups about Ankara's commitment to media freedom and democratic principles. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: CIVIL UNREST

World Press Freedom DayPuts Turkey in Spotlight

The US Department of State's annual human rights report refers to the limitations on freedom of the press in Turkey, writes Yavuz Baydar.

Presidents Serzh Sarksyan of Armenia (L) and Abdullah Gul of Turkey listen to the national anthems prior the World Cup 2010 qualifying soccer match betwwen Turkey and Armenia at Ataturk stadium in Bursa, western Turkey, October 14, 2009. The presidents of Turkey and Armenia attended a World Cup soccer match courting popular support for an agreement to reopen their border and restore ties poisoned over a century of mutual hostility. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY POLITICS SPORT SOCCER) - RTXPMWS

No Incentive for Turkey, Armenia To Normalize Relations

The Armenian genocide issue will not play a role in the normalizing of Armenia-Turkey relations, Cengiz Candar writes.

Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal (R) and Mohammad Nazzal, a member of the Hamas leadership, speak to media after their meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah at the Royal Palace in Amman January 28, 2013. REUTERS/Majed Jaber (JORDAN - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3D30A

Exclusive: Hamas' Meshaal Says Latest US Peace Efforts 'Will Fail'

In an exclusive telephone interview with Adnan Abu Amer for Al-Monitor, Khaled Meshaal, the head of Hamas's political bureau, spoke about US efforts to revive the Palestinian-Israeli peace process and more.

Wounded Syrian refugees who activists said were injured during shelling by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, lie in a hospital at Bab El-Hawa on the outskirts of Idlib, near the Syrian-Turkish border April 30, 2013. The Syrian air strike on a headquarters of a rebel brigade along the Turkish border killed at least five people, including children, and wounded dozens more on Tuesday, opposition activists said. Picture taken April 30, 2013. REUTERS/Abdalghne Karoof (SYRIA - Tags: CONFLICT POL

Turkey’s Trouble at the Border

The longer the Syrian civil war goes on, the more Turkey is challenged by both its deteriorating border security and the Syrian refugee crisis, writes Tulin Daloglu.

Coffins of victims killed in air strikes are carried by villagers during a funeral ceremony in Gulyazi near the southeastern Turkish town of Uludere, in Sirnak province, December 30, 2011. Turkish rights groups called on Friday for a U.N.-sponsored investigation after Turkish warplanes killed 35 villagers in an airstrike targeting Kurdish rebels on the Iraqi border that the government has called an operational mistake. REUTERS/Stringer (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR2VQMI

AKP Report on Uludere Airstrike Condemned as 'Whitewash'

Amberin Zaman writes that the December 2011 killing of Kurdish smugglers from Uludere by Turkish warplanes remains a test for the Turkish government.