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Turkey

Turkey

May 10, 2026

Ankara 4:51 pm

23°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

KILIS, TURKEY - MARCH 02: Turkish soldiers from the 1st Border Regiment Command run through alert drills at a military outpost on the Turkey/Syria border on March 2, 2017 in Kilis, Turkey. The military exercises were held to display the new border wall and new security measures such as thermal scanning and patrols by the new Tactical Armoured Reconnaissance vehicles (Kobra-2) that are being used to tighten Turkey's border. The government announced this week that more than half of the 511-kilometer wall ha

Ankara sends reinforcements into northern Syria

Turkish troops have entered northern Syria, sparking fears of a coalition-undermining attack on Syrian Kurdish forces.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives to greet European Council President Donald Tusk (not pictured) before a meeting at the European Council in Brussels, Belgium, May 25, 2017. REUTERS/Olivier Hoslet/Pool - RTX37KO8

New clashes likely between Turkey, Europe

Controversy follows Turkey's president wherever he goes. Next stop: Europe.

Gaziantep's beloved dumplings grace every table for Eid

In Gaziantep, all citizens rich or poor get busy making the same traditional ground rice and mincemeat dumplings of yuvarlama, a dish now registered with the patent office.

Turkish riot police detain a protester during a demonstration against the arrest by Turkish authorities of an academic and a teacher who have been on a hunger strike, in Ankara, on May 23, 2017.
Turkish authorities detained an academic and a teacher in Ankara who have been on a hunger strike for over two months in protest against their dismissal in the purge that followed last year's failed coup, media reported on May 22. Nuriye Gulmen and Semih Ozakca were sacked under the state of emergency imposed after

Turkey's elite get lenient treatment in post-coup probes

The apparent leniency accorded to figures linked to the ruling Justice and Development Party in Turkey’s post-coup investigations points to double standards.

Ankara voices cautious support as Turkish troops arrive in Doha

A top foreign policy adviser to the Turkish president has publicly defended Qatar in the same breath as the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas, while mixed signals from the US administration appear to have caught everyone off guard.

Erdogan tones down rhetoric in light of Qatar's fate

Turkey fears it could be next in line to be ostracized in the region due to guilt by association with Qatar and the Muslim Brotherhood.

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters stand along a damaged street in the Raqqa's al-Sanaa industrial neighbourhood, Syria June 14, 2017. Picture taken June 14, 2017. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RTS175OT

Kurds no safer after US shoots down Syrian jet

Though Syrian Kurds are widely celebrating the US downing of a regime fighter jet, their ally's move has made them a bigger target than ever.

Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu walks during the third day of a protest, dubbed "justice march", against the detention of his party's lawmaker Enis Berberoglu, on the outskirts of Ankara, Turkey June 17, 2017. Placard reads, "Justice". REUTERS/Osman Orsal - RTS17GE4

Turkey’s opposition head leads march for justice

Turkey’s main opposition leader is heading a march from Ankara to Istanbul in his most powerful protest so far against the government’s toughening crackdown on dissent.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses members of parliament from his ruling AK Party (AKP) during a meeting at the Turkish parliament in Ankara, Turkey, May 30, 2017. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTX387H1

Turkey reverses course as mediation efforts flop in Gulf

Turkey’s immediate support of Qatar has exposed its lack of leverage with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states and left it scrambling for a way out of an intractable situation.

Power failure can't stop World Music Day in Egypt

The French-sponsored Fete de la Musique fuses traditional, electronic and other genres of music, drawing large audiences in the Middle East.

KILIS, TURKEY - MARCH 02: Turkish soldiers from the 1st Border Regiment Command run through alert drills at a military outpost on the Turkey/Syria border on March 2, 2017 in Kilis, Turkey. The military exercises were held to display the new border wall and new security measures such as thermal scanning and patrols by the new Tactical Armoured Reconnaissance vehicles (Kobra-2) that are being used to tighten Turkey's border. The government announced this week that more than half of the 511-kilometer wall ha

Turkey aims to cripple, not contain, PKK

Turkish security forces are taking a much more aggressive approach against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), but how will Turkey transform operational military success into a sustainable and peaceful political resolution?

Turkish soldiers march during a parade marking the 93rd anniversary of Victory Day in Ankara, Turkey, August 30, 2015. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTX1Q9PW

Turkish military hit by food poisoning scandal

With hundreds of conscripts hospitalized and one dead from food poisoning, Turks from all political stripes demand answers.