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

Turkey

Turkey

May 11, 2026

Ankara 4:07 am

12°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

Journalists hold placards reading "journalists will be freed , they will write again" during a demonstration for the World Press Freedom Day on the Istiklal avenue, in Istanbul, on May 3, 2017.
According to the P24 press freedom website on April 4, 2017, there are 141 journalists behind bars in Turkey, most of whom were detained as part of the state of emergency imposed after the failed coup. / AFP PHOTO / OZAN KOSE (Photo credit should read OZAN KOSE/AFP/Getty Images)

With Turkish journalists gagged, ICG spotlights Nusaybin

In a new report, the International Crisis Group examines the Turkish border town of Nusaybin, where residents feel alienated and under Turkish occupation, to outline the local dynamics in the Kurdish region.

A police barrier blocks a narrow back alley of Sur, an historical district of southeastern province of Diyarbakir, Turkey, March 10, 2017. Picture taken March 10, 2017. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTX31V7X

More Kurds forced out of ancient Sur in southeast Turkey

The Turkish authorities are evacuating more neighborhoods in Diyarbakir’s historic district of Sur, leaving hundreds of Kurdish families with uncertain futures.

A U.S. military commander (R) walks with a commander (C) from the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) as they inspect the damage at YPG headquarters after it was hit by Turkish airstrikes in Mount Karachok near Malikiya, Syria April 25, 2017. REUTERS/ Rodi Said - RTS13VA8

Turkey continues its foreign policy blunders

Turkey finds itself ever more isolated after making "frenemies" on all fronts.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan looks on as he is welcomed by European Parliament President at the European Parliament in Brussels, on October 5, 2015, as part of a meeting with the European Union's top officials for urgent talks on the migration crisis and the Syrian war that is producing so many of the refugees. AFP PHOTO /EMMANUEL DUNAND (Photo credit should read EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images)

Post-referendum, what’s next for Turkey’s EU bid?

EU foreign ministers disappoint Turkey’s democratic opposition by declaring “respect” for referendum results that further empower President Erdogan.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu attend a news conference in Ankara, Turkey, March 30, 2017. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTX33DCF

US, Turkish nerves fray as Erdogan visit nears

The Turkish foreign minister shared a heated conversation with his American counterpart in the wake of the Turkish airstrikes in Syria, and despite US fury, Ankara's increasingly roguish behavior will likely remain unchanged.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin (R) and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu attend a news conference in Kiev, Ukraine, February 10, 2017. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko - RTX30F7R

Turkey-Ukraine defense industry ties are booming

Turkey is promoting deals with Ukraine to bypass Western embargoes in the defense industry and share critical military technologies.

TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY DILAY GUNDOGAN
A man sells beer near Taksim Square in Istanbul on June 29, 2014. New alcohol legislation has made it more expensive and harder to buy or sell alcohol in Turkey, with critics accusing the Islamic-rooted government of imposing a religious agenda in the mainly Muslim but officially secular nation. Turkey's sizeable secular population has denounced the new laws as repressive, pointing out the country already has the lowest alcohol consumption among OECD countries. AFP PHO

Turkish bans on Wikipedia and public drinking rouse anger

The Turkish public has reacted with anger to both the Antalya police department's ban on the public consumption of alcohol and a Turkish court's ban on Wikipedia.

American army vehicles drive north of Manbij city, in Aleppo Governorate, Syria March 9, 2017. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RTS126K2

US move to protect YPG could push Turkey into Russia's arms

US special forces have deployed along Syrian border to deter Turkey from further attacks against Syrian Kurdish forces but the United States has no sway over Russian-dominated northwestern Syria, prompting conjecture about a possible Russian-Turkish deal for Idlib.

Who killed exiled Iranian TV executive in Istanbul?

The owner of GEM TV, which airs dubbed Western programs into Iran, was gunned down in the streets of Istanbul.

A U.S. military commander (2nd R) walks with Kurdish fighters from the People's Protection Units (YPG) at the YPG headquarters that was hit by Turkish airstrikes in Mount Karachok near Malikiya, Syria April 25, 2017. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RTS13T7Q

Three reasons Turkey bombed Syria and Iraq

Turkish government officials provided Al-Monitor rare insight into Turkey's mindset, explaining the reasoning behind the controversial attacks on Syrian Kurdish fighters.

A helicopter carrying U.S. military officials arrive at the headquarters of the Kurdish fighters from the People's Protection Units (YPG) that was hit by Turkish airstrikes in Mount Karachok near Malikiya, Syria April 25, 2017. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RTS13T7T

Erdogan tests Trump with attack on Syrian Kurds

US-Turkey relations sink further following airstrikes; Russia’s expanding military presence in Syria.

Fighters from the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) inspect the damage at their headquarters after it was hit by Turkish airstrikes in Mount Karachok near Malikiya, Syria April 25, 2017. REUTERS/ Rodi Said - RTS13V4D

Does Turkey plan to continue airstrikes in Iraq, Syria?

Turkey’s recent bombings of groups it says are linked to Kurdish terrorists give Russia and the United States something else to agree on.