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Turkey

Turkey

May 12, 2026

Ankara 4:21 pm

23°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

People arrive at Sirnak city on November 14, 2016 after a 246-day curfew was partially lifted.
The curfew in Sirnak, a city of 290,000, was imposed on March 14 as part of operations to eradicate the PKK from eastern Turkey. / AFP / ILYAS AKENGIN (Photo credit should read ILYAS AKENGIN/AFP/Getty Images)

Turkey's Sirnak now nothing but rubble

The nine-month-long curfew on Sirnak was lifted after security forces cleared the trenches, barricades and booby traps of the PKK urban warfare units. But Sirnak is now one big pile of rubble.

A rebel fighter stands with his weapon near damaged buildings, and barricades with a Free Syrian Army flag drawn(C), in rebel-held besieged old Aleppo, Syria December 2, 2016. REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail - RTSUDX4

Why are the flames of Aleppo burning Turkey?

As they continue to suffer defeats, Syrian opposition forces are being pressed back against the Turkish border, signaling yet another nightmare in the making.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan attend a joint news conference following their meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, October 10, 2016. Sputnik/Kremlin/Alexei Druzhinin via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTSRO2X

Russian-rebel talks resume as Erdogan backs down on Assad

Talks between Russia and Syrian rebels were reportedly derailed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's contradictory statements on Syria, but they have apparently resumed after he and the Russian president spoke on the phone and Erdogan publicly declared that Turkey is only targeting terrorist organizations in northern Syria.

A Turkish tank drives near Guzhe village, northern Aleppo countryside, Syria October 17, 2016. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi - RTX2P87C

As risk rises, will Turkey persist in quest for al-Bab?

The Turkish army, which so far has avoided actively fighting in Syria, now faces increasing danger as it advances to al-Bab.

Tourists enjoy a beach in the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya, a popular destination for German tourists, in Turkey, July 25, 2016. REUTERS/Kaan Soyturk - RTSJICZ

How Turkey plans to lure more Arab tourists

Scrambling to stop the downturn in its vital tourism sector, Turkey plans to build special holiday villages for Arab tourists.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) poses with president of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas as he receives an honorary doctorate degree from Palestine's Al-Quds University in Ankara on September 21, 2012. AFP PHOTO / ADEM ALTAN (Photo credit should read ADEM ALTAN/AFP/GettyImages)

Why this Palestinian university is offering Turkish language courses

Al-Quds University is the first Palestinian university to offer Turkish language courses to its students, in an effort to promote cooperation between the two countries.

Members of the Shi'ite Badr Organisation fighters take cover behind a berm during a battle with Islamic State militants at the airport of Tal Afar west of Mosul, Iraq, November 20, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily - RTSSJEJ

Shiite forces advance on Tal Afar in Mosul operation

Predominately Shiite Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) have liberated Tal Afar airport to the west of Mosul and now seek to coordinate with Kurdish peshmerga forces on the front.

Turkish army tanks and military personal are stationed in Karkamis on the Turkish-Syrian border in the southeastern Gaziantep province, Turkey, August 25, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTX2MYL0

Is Turkey all talk, or will it split from the West, NATO?

Ankara is sending out plenty of signals that it might leave the West and head east toward Russia and China.

Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov speaks to journalists upon his arrival in Damascus December 10, 2014. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR4HF01

Kremlin unsure how to take Erdogan's vow to topple Assad

A Russian diplomat has expressed confusion and cautious disapproval over Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan openly saying that Turkey's main objective in Syria is to topple the regime.

A Syrian government soldier gestures a v-sign under the Syrian national flag near a general view of eastern Aleppo after they took control of al-Sakhour neigbourhood in Aleppo, Syria in this handout picture provided by SANA on November 28, 2016. SANA/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THIS IMAGE. - RTSTSGY

Why Aleppo’s fall will be a game-changer for Turkey

The recapture of Aleppo by Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s forces could turn the tables on Turkey.

Turkey's central bank governor Murat Cetinkaya speaks during a news conference in Istanbul, Turkey April 26, 2016. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RTX2C6AI

How the Turkish lira entered free fall

The European Parliament’s vote to suspend Turkey’s membership talks is the latest move to worsen the rapid decline of the Turkish lira's foreign exchange rates.

Turkish army tanks and military personal are stationed in Karkamis on the Turkish-Syrian border in the southeastern Gaziantep province, Turkey, August 25, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTX2MYWR

Erdogan's shifting rationale on Syria

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's latest rationale for Turkish forces entering northern Syria point to a long-term engagement.