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Turkey

Turkey

May 12, 2026

Ankara 10:00 am

20°C

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.

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

Turkey reopened the Akcakale-Tell Abyad crossing on Monday, ending an 11-year closure along the Syria border.

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.

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

Has PKK reached impasse in Turkey, Syria?

Turkey was shaken by two recent terror acts by PKK-affiliates that killed some 60 people. What is the strategy of the Kurdish movement, and is that strategy sustainable in Turkey and Syria?

Pressure mounts on PKK over Sinjar presence

The United States, Iraqi Kurdistan, Turkey and Iraq have all expressed their strong opposition to the presence of the Kurdistan Workers Party in northern Iraq's Sinjar.

Will Turkey's economic crisis doom presidential system?

Turkey seems to be on the cusp of a stormy 2017, as a failing economy and the drive for a presidential regime threaten to increase its already high economic and political risks.

Who's telling Turkish couples to quiet down during sex?

Turkey's ruling party shrewdly raises sexual and chauvinistic topics whenever the going gets tough.

Would Putin accept Turkish buffer zone in Syria?

Heavy casualties at al-Bab and the recently released video of IS' burning alive of two Turkish soldiers have not affected Turkey’s Operation Euphrates Shield.

Christmas brings hope for peace for Aleppo’s Christians

Christians part of region’s DNA, said incoming UN secretary-general; Turkey’s “impossible war”; Erdogan backers blame Iran for Aleppo.

How Russia views Ankara envoy's assassination

Following the assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey, Russia’s political and expert communities are mulling over potential masterminds behind the assassination and what responses Moscow has at its disposal.

Erdogan claims Turkey in 'greatest struggle' since independence

In his latest speech, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan invoked a traumatic memory for Turks, the Treaty of Sevres, in a move calculated to appeal to his nationalist supporters.

Why Ankara now feels vulnerable to Russia

The assassination of the Russian ambassador in Ankara has engaged Turkey to the Russian option in Syria, while Russia sees it as an opportunity to create an alternative axis in the Middle East

Could ambassador's slaying bring about Russian-Turkish cooperation?

Russian and Turkish cooperation in the battle against terrorism could help bring about a more stable Middle East.

Turkish Islamists’ trial with sectarianism

Turkish Islamists’ Middle Eastern vision did not begin with a sectarian outlook, but the existing sectarian tension may change this.

Rojava leader: Turkey cannot stop Kurds from advancing in Syria

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Fawza al-Yusuf, a board member of the Democratic Federal System for Rojava-Northern Syria, spoke about the battle for Raqqa, Turkey's involvement in the conflict and Syria's future.