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

Turkey

Turkey

July 6, 2026

Ankara 6:13 pm

24°C

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech after a signing ceremony with Libyan Government of National Unity prime minister at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on April 12, 2021.

Analysis

In Libya, maritime dispute could complicate Turkey’s backing of US unity push

Turkey and the US increasingly share an interest in stabilizing Libya through a Tripoli-Benghazi power-sharing deal, though their alignment may hinge on the durability of any such deal and Washington's stance on Ankara's disputed 2019 maritime agreement.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

A screenshot of one of Deniz Goktas' standup routines posted to YouTube.

Culture

Turkish standup comic detained after act calling Erdogan 'dictator' goes viral

Comedian Deniz Goktas’ arrest comes as Ankara intensifies prosecutions against opposition figures, journalists, artists and critics ahead of a major NATO summit.

Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud speaks during the launch of an offshore energy exploration at the port in Mogadishu on April 10, 2026.

Turkish jets strike al-Shabab targets in Somalia: What to know

A Somali Defense Ministry statement initially said Turkish F-16s carried out strikes on Al-Shabab targets before a later version referred only to “international partners.”

Latest News

Explainer

Turkey eases job rules for 1M+ Syrians under temporary protection: What to know

Syrian textile employees work in a textile workshop in Gaziantep, Turkey, on Jan. 30, 2025.

Turkey, Azerbaijan slam Israel’s Armenian genocide recognition as Yerevan mum

KAREN MINASYAN / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Why Turkey and Egypt are deepening military ties amid regional turmoil

From (L-R) Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attend a meeting in Cairo on June 21, 2026.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

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

Art Goes Indoors At Istanbul Biennial

Amid the continuing street protests in the city, the 13th Istanbul Biennial’s decision to withdraw from public spaces aims to make the demonstrations and their message more visible.

Anti-government Alevi protesters shout slogans during a demonstration in Istanbul June 23, 2013. The European Union is on the verge of scrapping a new round of membership talks with Turkey, a move that would further undermine Ankara's already slim hopes of joining the bloc and damage its relations with Brussels. Germany, the EU's biggest economic power, is blocking efforts to revive Turkey's EU membership bid, partly because of its handling of anti-government protests that have swept the country in the last

Syria Crisis Prompts Turkey's New Openings to Its Alevis

Turkey’s new liberalization package for its largest religious minority is linked to Syria.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) speaks next to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as they answer questions from the media, following meetings regarding Syria, at a news conference in Geneva September 14, 2013. The United States and Russia have agreed on a proposal to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons arsenal, Kerry said on Saturday after nearly three days of talks with Lavrov. REUTERS/Larry Downing (SWITZERLAND - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX13KRV

Obama’s Syria Policy Has Potential For Breakthrough on War

Al-Monitor’s analysis and coverage of US policy toward Syria.

An Israeli military vehicle drives along Israel's border with Egypt's Sinai desert, near the Nitzana crossing August 20, 2013. Egypt began three days of official mourning for 25 policemen killed on Monday by suspected Islamist militants in the Sinai near the desert border with Israel. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun (ISRAEL - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX12RGP

Israel-Egypt Forge New Ties Over Sinai

The United States is no longer the glue between Israel and Egypt.

Egyptian activists and pro-government protester demonstrate outside the Turkish embassy in Cairo on August 24, 2013, against Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan criticised Washington for its response to his claims of Israel's involvement in the Egypt crisis. AFP PHOTO/MOHAMED EL SHAHED (Photo credit should read MOHAMED EL-SHAHED/AFP/Getty Images)

How Did Turkey Lose Egypt?

Statements by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the coup in Egypt have set back Egyptian diplomacy and popularity with the Egyptian street.

Improvised mortar shells that are colored are seen inside a box at a weapons factory in Aleppo September 4, 2013. REUTERS/Hamid Khatib (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT) - RTX1372R

Court Case Reveals Turkey Arms Flow To Syrian Rebels

The transfer of Turkish weapons to the Free Syrian Army is documented in a court case in Hatay.

A man holds posters depicting Egypt's top general, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as Turkish supporters of Egypt's ousted President Mohammed Morsi demonstrate outside the Egyptian embassy in Ankara on August 8, 2013. AFP PHOTO / ADEM ALTAN (Photo credit should read ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Turkish Opposition Builds Bridge to Egypt

Two prominent diplomats affiliated with the Republican People's Party are trying to repair ties between Ankara and Cairo.

Syrian boys from the northern Syrian town of Ras al-Ain attempt to cross the border back into Syria at the Turkish border town of Ceylanpinar, Sanliurfa province, November 24, 2012. Syria on Friday condemned Turkey's request for NATO to deploy Patriot defence missiles near their common border, calling it "provocative", after a spate of clashes there that has raised fear of the Syrian civil war embroiling the wider region. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh (TURKEY - Tags: CIVIL UNREST MILITARY POLITICS CONFLICT) -

Turkey’s Syria Border on Edge

A first-hand account of Turkey’s Syrian border suggests that Turkey continues to provide sanctuary for both rebels fighting the Syrian government and Kurdish forces alike.

People walk past the Bab al-Yemen gate of the Old Sanaa city January 6, 2013. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah (YEMEN - Tags: SOCIETY CITYSCAPE) - RTR3C5QS

Turkey’s Influence Divides Yemenis

Turkish influence in Yemen, which has continued since Ottoman times, has proven to be a divisive topic among the Yemeni public.

A Turkish protester takes cover behind a wall during clashes with riot policemen in Istanbul on September 10, 2013. Turkish police fired tear gas and plastic bullets at thousands of people who gathered in Istanbul to protest the death of a 22-year-old demonstrator the previous day in the southeastern city of Antakya. AFP PHOTO/OZAN KOSE (Photo credit should read OZAN KOSE/AFP/Getty Images)

Are Protests on Rise Again in Turkey?

Turkey may risk a new wave of unrest if the government fails to address the grievances of minorities.

A protester holds a banner reading "we are alevi" as he and many others wait to hear the decision of the court in front of a courthouse in Ankara March 13, 2012. Turkish police fired tear-gas and water cannon to disperse hundreds protesting on Tuesday against the dropping of a case against five people charged with killing 37 writers and liberals in a 1993 hotel fire set off by Islamist rioters.The opposition accused Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and his AK Party, which emerged from a series of banned Islami

Turkish Alevis Refuse 'Sunnification'

Shiites and Alevis in Turkey continue to struggle for rights and recognition.

Riot police fire tear gas during a protest in central Istanbul September 10, 2013. Turkish police used teargas to disperse crowds in Istanbul and Ankara who were rallying against the death of a protester earlier in the day, witnesses said. REUTERS/Osman Orsal (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX13GD6

A Death Provokes Anti-Government Protests in Turkey

The Arab Alawite community of Antakya holds the government responsible for the unprecedented tensions in their once peaceful town after Ahmet Atakan’s death on Sept. 9.