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Turkey

Turkey

May 13, 2026

Ankara 8:08 am

17°C

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 member of the Islamist Syrian rebel group Jabhat al-Nusra fires during clashes with Syrian forces in eastern al-Ghouta, near Damascus April 8, 2014. Picture taken April 8, 2014. REUTERS/Ammar Al-Bushy ( SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT) - RTR3KIUC

Kerry: Going after al-Qaeda in Syria 'not a concession to anybody'

US Secretary of State John Kerry warns armed groups that "it’s wise to separate" from Jabhat al-Nusra.

fRONT l-r: China's President Xi Jinping, US President Barack Obama, Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Russia's President Vladimir Putin, French President Francois Hollande, and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (far R) walks following the G20 leaders' family photo in Hangzhou on September 4, 2016.

World leaders are gathering in Hangzhou for the 11th G20 Leaders Summit from September 4 to 5. / AFP / Greg BAKER (Photo credit should read GREG BAKER/AF

Erdogan’s 'win-win' on the world stage

Lately, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been a master poker player with global leaders: He not only plays his own cards well, but he can also see the cards in the hands of others.

Turkish Alevis make v-signs, hold national flags and portraits of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and Hadrat Ali Ibn Abu Talib, son-in-law of Prophet Mohammed, during a rally in Ankara November 9, 2008. Thousands of Turkish Alevis marched in Ankara on Sunday in their first massive demonstration to call for an end to discrimination by the government and compulsory religious classes. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY) - RTXAF2X

How will Turkey's Alevis react to Syrian gambit?

After years of facing pressure from the state and the country's Sunni majority, Turkish military involvement in Syria has caused Turkey's Alevi minority further problems in their relations with the AKP government.

A member of the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) patrols in the border town of Jarablus, Syria, August 31, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX2NQ2X

Turkey reaches critical crossroads in Syria

Turkey has an important decision to make now that it has helped Free Syrian Army troops win a major battle for border control in northern Syria.

Pro-Kurdish politicians wearing t-shirts featuring Abdullah Ocalan gather to start a hunger strike to demand the right to visit the jailed PKK militant leader Ocalan, in Diyarbakir, Turkey, September 5, 2016. REUTERS/Sertac Kayar - RTX2O6JE

Is Abdullah Ocalan key to peace between Turkey, PKK?

Many Kurds believe Abdullah Ocalan holds the key to peace between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers Party, but does he retain the power to deliver?

Fighters of the Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) stand inside a building near Manbij, in Aleppo Governorate, Syria, June 17, 2016. REUTERS/Rodi Said/File Photo - RTX2HMHI

US backing ensures Arab-Kurd alliance in Syria will survive

Liwa al-Tahrir walking out of its alliance with the Kurdish People's Protection Units caused plenty of excitement in Turkey, but did it really change anything in Syria?

A picture taken on August 2, 2016 shows a picture of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) on a billboard and a mask bearing a picture of US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen set up on a dummy at the Kizilay Square in Ankara during a protest against the failed military coup, on August 2, 2016.
Erdogan said on August 2, 2016 last month's attempted coup was a scenario drawn up from outside Turkey, in an allusion to possible foreign involvement in the plot. Erdogan, who blames the plot on the US-based prea

Why Turkey’s Gulenist purge is going way too far

The Gulenist threat to Turkish democracy was not a myth, yet the anti-Gulenist purge itself is now also a major threat if it continues along the same path.

European Union (L) and Turkish flags fly outside a hotel in Istanbul, Turkey May 4, 2016. REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File Photo - RTX2EIB4

EU tries to mend fences with Turkey following attempted coup

European officials stream to Turkey to overcome tensions that are putting arrangements such as the migration agreement at risk, but serious differences remain.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C) attends a ceremony at the Ataturk mausoleum to mark the 94th anniversary of Turkeys Victory Day in Ankara on August 30, 2016. / AFP / ADEM ALTAN (Photo credit should read ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images)

How Army Day highlighted growing repercussions of Turkey's failed coup

The forlorn observance of the traditionally joyous Victory Day in Turkey points to further polarization between conservatives and Kemalist secularists since the failed coup.

Military vehicles of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces are seen on the southeast of Mosul , Iraq, August 14, 2016. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari - RTX2KS2U

What is Turkish army really doing in Iraq?

It is not clear who will take control if Mosul is liberated from the Islamic State, but Turkey and its allies want nothing more than to prevent the Kurds from declaring a semi-autonomous state in the region.

A member of Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA), seen with a mural of the Islamic State in the background, stands guard in front of a building in the border town of Jarablus, Syria, August 31, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX2NQ4X

Will Turkey be dragged deeper into Syria?

US military support for Kurdish forces pulled Turkey into Syria, but the IS factor will now determine whether or not Turkey gets bogged down.

A supporter of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan steps on a photo of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen during a pro-government demonstration on Taksim Square in Istanbul, Turkey, July 18, 2016. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis - RTSILD2

Turkey expands assault on independent media

The Erdogan government’s crackdown on "enemy within" includes free press; Iran and Russia may gain from strains in US-Turkey ties; Aleppo key to "undivided Syria"; Iran likely to deepen ties with Russia over Syria.