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Turkey

Turkey

May 13, 2026

Ankara 12:18 am

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The helicopter of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lands on Abdulhamid Han drill ship, the fourth built by Turkey, in Mersin on Aug. 9, 2022, before being sent for gas exploration to an undisputed area in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Gazipasa.

New Turkey maritime draft bill fuels EastMed tensions with Greece, Cyprus

Turkey’s draft maritime bill seeks to formalize Ankara’s claims in the Aegean, Eastern Mediterranean and Black seas, raising tensions with Greece and Cyprus over contested maritime boundaries and offshore energy rights.

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

Latest News

Culture

How ‘dog mom’ vacuum cleaner ad sparked culture war in Turkey

MURAT KOCABAS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

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

A Kurdish Peshmerga fighter with Milan anti tank weapon guards against possible Islamic State suicide bomb attacks during a battle with Islamic State militants at Topzawa village, near Bashiqa, near Mosul, Iraq October 24, 2016. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah - RTX2Q845

The many dimensions of Mosul, and what comes next

There's much more at play in Mosul than a campaign for its immediate liberation from the Islamic State.

A waiter carries two cups of Turkish coffee at a coffee shop in Istanbul October 19, 2007. Turks are turning their backs on traditional Turkish coffee as they acquire a taste for the cappuccinos and espressos served at global coffee chain outlets opening up across this economically booming Muslim country. Picture taken October 19, 2007. To match feature TURKEY-COFFEE REUTERS/Osman Orsal (TURKEY) - RTX7D

The brewing battle over coffee in Turkey

Amid an increase in coffee consumption in Turkey, leading international coffee chains have stormed into the local market, luring the young clientele.

A Turkish flag flutters atop the Turkish embassy as an Israeli flag is seen nearby, in Tel Aviv, Israel June 26, 2016. REUTERS/Baz Ratner/File Photo - RTSOQGS

Why Netanyahu and Erdogan prefer ‘cold normalization’

Neither Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are particularly enthusiastic about implementing the reconciliation agreement between the two countries.

A view of a municipal board building after it was destroyed by Saudi-led air strikes in the northwestern city of Saada, Yemen, October 2, 2016. REUTERS/Naif Rahma TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTSQEFL

Have Turkey's neo-Ottomans abandoned Yemen?

Turkish media ignores Yemen despite mounting civilian casualties, but hard-core Islamists and secular groups blame the neo-Ottoman government for being a pawn of Western and Saudi interests.

A man waves a Kurdistan flag as a Turkish military truck escorts a convoy of peshmerga vehicles at Habur border gate, which separates Turkey from Iraq, near the town of Silopi in southeastern Turkey, October 29, 2014. Iraqi peshmerga fighters arrived in southeastern Turkey early on Wednesday ahead of their planned deployment to the Syrian town of Kobani to help fellow Kurds repel an Islamic State advance, a Reuters witness said. REUTERS/Kadir Baris (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY CONFLICT TPX IMAGES OF TH

Why KRG will remain Turkey’s main ally in Iraq

Despite warnings from Turkish nationalist quarters about ultimate Kurdish aspirations, Ankara and Erbil are likely to maintain their pragmatic ties.

Pizza wars: flatbread becomes latest battlefield in Turkey-Armenia dispute

Shared cultural heritage often leads to cuisine wars between Turkey and its neighbors.

Kurds carry Kurdish flags during a gathering to celebrate Newroz, which marks the arrival of spring and the new year, in the Sheikh Maksoud neighbourhood of Aleppo March 21, 2015. REUTERS/Ammar Abdullah - RTR4UBTE

Syria rejects Russian proposal for Kurdish federation

Russia's attempt to broker a Kurdish solution was warmly received by Kurds but got the cold shoulder from Damascus.

Turkey's Chief of Staff General Hulusi Akar whispers in President Tayyip Erdogan's ear during the funeral of Sergeant Okan Tasan, one of the soldiers killed during an attack on a military convoy and clashes on Sunday in the mountainous Daglica area of Hakkari province, at Kocatepe Mosque in Ankara, Turkey, September 10, 2015. Pro-Kurdish politicians, including cabinet ministers, attempted to march to a town in southeast Turkey on Thursday to protest a week-old curfew there, as their party came under fire fr

How Turkey is becoming a snitching paradise

The aftermath of the July 15 coup attempt has seen a surge of informants in Turkey, compounding an already terrible climate of fear.

A Kurdish fighter from the People's Protection Units (YPG) carries his weapon as he stands past a tank in the Ghwairan neighborhood of Hasaka, Syria, August 22, 2016. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RTX2MKNR

Did Putin give green light to Turkish attack on US-backed Syrian Kurds?

Kurds again in crosshairs as Turkey weighs options in Mosul.

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan (C) attends a ceremony marking the 92nd anniversary of Victory Day at Anitkabir, mausoleum of modern Turkey's founder Ataturk, in Ankara August 30, 2014. REUTERS/Stringer (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS ANNIVERSARY MILITARY) - RTR44B5W

How Ataturk became a model for Erdogan

Although Erdogan’s ideology is very different from that of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s, he wants a similar role — that of a savior-founder who will rule Turkey single-handedly.

Are Turkish leaders ill-informed about their own history?

Many question whether Ankara has aspirations in Iraq linked to a misunderstanding of Turkish history.

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli addresses his party MPs during a meeting at the Turkish parliament in Ankara, Turkey, June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTX2G4H8

Turkey as close as ever to presidential regime

An opposition leader’s call for a referendum on a presidential regime has raised the specter of fresh turmoil for Turkey, threatening a rough wave of nationalism, an institutionalized authoritarianism and the demise of dialogue on the Kurdish problem.