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Turkey

Turkey

May 11, 2026

Ankara 11:47 am

21°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

A civil defence member breathes through an oxygen mask, after what rescue workers described as a suspected gas attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in rebel-held Idlib, Syria April 4, 2017. REUTERS/Ammar Abdullah TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX33ZAV

'Inhuman' chemical attack tests Turkey's relations with Russia

An apparent chemical attack has ravaged a small rebel-held Syrian town and Turkey has found itself in the middle of the aftermath, torn between supporting anti-Assad rebels and its need to ally with Russia.

A Turkish soldier on an armoured military vehicle surveys the border line between Turkey and Syria, near the southeastern city of Kilis, Turkey, March 2, 2017. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RTS115IB

Can Turkey afford new battlefront in Iraq?

Turkey has labeled Operation Euphrates Shield a "success" and put it to bed, leaving observers to wonder about the Turkish military's next ambitions.

A Turkish Gendarmerie (Jandarma) officer stands guard outside the Erdine Prison (background) after a delegation from the Party of European Socialists (PES) visited the leader of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) party Selahattin Demirtas, imprisoned in Edirne, on November 21, 2016.
Ten MPs from the HDP, including co-leaders Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yukseksag, were arrested this month on charges of links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Turkey declared a state of emergency a

What’s going on in Turkey’s prisons?

Hunger strikes in Turkish prisons, joined briefly by the country’s top Kurdish politician, aim to draw attention to mounting allegations of ill-treatment and other violations of inmate rights since last year’s coup attempt.

Turkish military vehicles drive in the Syrian rebel-held town of al-Rai, as they head towards the northern Syrian town of al-Bab, Syria January 4, 2017. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi - RTX2XITU

Operation Euphrates Shield: A postmortem

As Turkey closes the chapter on Operation Euphrates Shield, its military intervention in northern Syria, it's important to look at what it did and did not accomplish.

Kurdish fighters walk carrying their weapons towards Tel Abyad of Raqqa governorate after they said they took control of the area June 15, 2015. Syrian Kurdish-led forces said they had captured a town at the Turkish border from Islamic State on Monday, driving it away from the frontier in an advance backed by U.S.-led air strikes that has thrust deep into the jihadists' Syria stronghold. The capture of Tel Abyad by the Kurdish YPG and smaller Syrian rebel groups means the Syrian Kurds effectively control so

Is there a road to Raqqa for Turkey?

Syria won't be the only country affected by the fate of Raqqa, as Turkey's hopes for involvement dwindle.

Former Turkish President Abdullah Gul waves from a car as he leaves a memorial service for the victims of the thwarted coup in Istanbul, Turkey, July 17, 2016. REUTERS/Kemal Aslan - RTSIDEV

Eyes turn to Gul as countdown begins to Turkish referendum

Turkey's former President Abdullah Gul has come under fire for refusing to speak at a rally for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, unnerving Erdogan's loyalists as the referendum approaches.

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

Did the US, Turkey reach understanding on Assad?

Turkey declares an end to Syrian military intervention; alarm over possible US military support to Gulf coalition in Yemen war.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson leaves after a wreath-laying ceremony at Anitkabir, the mausoleum of modern Turkey's founder Ataturk, in Ankara, Turkey, March 30, 2017. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTX33DNV

Did Tillerson's visit to Turkey relieve tensions?

It is still unclear whether US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s highly anticipated visit to Ankara had a positive impact on Turkey-US relations.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif makes a pledge during the second makes a pledge during the second 'Thematic Pledging Session' at the donors Conference for Syria in London, Britain February 4, 2016. REUTERS/Matt Dunham/pool - RTX25FTG

Iran in crosshairs as Syrian war winds down

As a resolution to the Syrian conflict grows closer, it is becoming clear that Iran is increasingly in the crosshairs of the Damascus regime's opponents and their backers.

Turkey adopts Baghdadi as poster child for naysayers

Supporters of proposed amendments to Turkey's constitution are using some vivid imagery in their campaign.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson meets with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara, Turkey, March 30, 2017. REUTERS/Umit Bektas TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX33CKX

Tillerson leaves Ankara with no new enemies — or friends

The US secretary of state seems to have made little progress on his first official trip to Turkey, where Rex Tillerson is believed to have confirmed the administration’s decision to press ahead with plans to capture Raqqa with the help of the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces.

Turkey recruits youth hackers to boost cybersecurity

Increasingly susceptible to cyberattacks, Turkey is recruiting former hackers and tech-savvy citizens for training in cyber affairs, but some worry the Turkish government will use these new capabilities to monitor its own citizens.