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Turkey

Turkey

May 13, 2026

Ankara 9:08 am

18°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

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (R) tries a piece of Turkish delight, "lokum", as he visits members of the Turkish community in the Kreuzberg neighborhood in Berlin on May 11, 2013. AFP PHOTO / ADAM BERRY (Photo credit should read ADAM BERRY/AFP/Getty Images)

To the delight of Americans, a taste of Turkey now sold close by

Specialty stores selling fresh lokum, or Turkish delight, are opening across the US, serving a variety of options for health-conscious candy lovers.

A picture taken on July 18, 2016 shows a poster picturing US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen burning during a Pro-Erdogan supporters rally at Taksim square in Istanbul on July 18, 2016 following the military failed coup attempt of July 15.
Turkish security forces on July 18 carried out new raids against suspected plotters of the botched coup against the rule of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as international concern grew over the scale of the crackdown. Thousands of pro-Erdogan supporters waving Turkish fla

Gulenist crisis sets off intra-Islamic debate in Turkey

The failed coup attempt has not only set a new tone for Turkish politics, but also triggered wide soul-searching and finger-pointing within Islamist circles.

Turkish riot police stand guard as Kurdish women (unseen) sit during a protest in downtown Istanbul, on August 29, 2011. The group of Kurdish women gathered to protest Turkish military air strikes against Kurdish separatists in northern Iraq. Meanwhile, Turkish jets bombed bases in northern Iraq used by the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in a fresh campaign which has killed as many as 160 rebels since last week, the military said on August 29. AFP PHOTO / BULENT KILIC (Photo credit should read BU

Turkish women in police force allowed to wear headscarves

As critics continue to accuse the ruling Justice and Development Party of changing the nature of Turkey’s secular state, government supporters celebrate further relaxations of the earlier headscarf bans as more religious freedom.

A journalist of pro-Kurdish Ozgur Gundem gives an interview to a German TV channel at their newsroom before a protest against the arrest of three prominent campaigners for press freedom, in front of the pro-Kurdish Ozgur Gundem newspaper in central Istanbul, Turkey, June 21, 2016. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RTX2HD1N

What's next for Turkey's journalists following post-coup crackdown?

The matter of suppressing the freedom of press in Turkey is getting very serious.

Kurdish fighters from the People's Protection Units (YPG) carry their weapons as they take positions in the northeastern city of Hasaka, Syria, August 20, 2016. Picture taken August 20, 2016. REUTERS/Rodi Said TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX2MEE9

What Turkey stands to lose in its hunt for Syrian Kurds

Turkey may face an unexpected backlash within its borders from its goal of undermining the gains of the Kurds in Syria by launching an operation in Jarablus.

JARABLUS, SYRIA - AUGUST 31: A member of the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) gestures as he patrols in the border town of Jarablus, August 31, 2016, Syria. Turkish troops and Turkey-backed rebels have been fighting Kurdish-led forces and IS since Turkey's incursion into Syria on Aug. 24. with the swift capture of Jarablus, a town a few km inside Syria that was held by Islamic State.(Photo by Defne Karadeniz/Getty Images)

Is Turkey falling into its own Syrian trap?

Kurds may be avoiding combat with Turkey, Syria's reaction could be restrained and the Islamic State might have withdrawn without a fight, but Ankara could still get stuck in a quagmire.

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 - RTX2LGJ5

How both Israel and Turkey exploit Gaza's suffering

With the reconciliation agreement now signed between Israel and Turkey, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has practically forgotten his demands to lift the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip.

TOPSHOT - This picture taken around 5 kilometres west from the Turkish Syrian border city of Karkamis in the southern region of Gaziantep, on August 25, 2016 shows Turkish Army tanks driving to the Syrian Turkish border town of Jarabulus.
Turkey's army backed by international coalition air strikes launched an operation involving fighter jets and elite ground troops to drive Islamic State jihadists out of a key Syrian border town. The air and ground operation, the most ambitious launched by Turkey in the Syr

Truce brings quiet, but not stability, to Turkey-Syria border

Despite the current truce, the border between Turkey and northern Syria is still riddled with unrest.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim addresses during the enlarged meeting of provincial chairmans of Justice and Development Party (AK Party) at the AK Party headquarters in Ankara, on June 2, 2016. / AFP / ADEM ALTAN (Photo credit should read ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images)

15 years of Turkey's AKP: Is it a success story?

Turkey's Justice and Development Party has had economic and political successes, but the current state of affairs could threaten that legacy.

How this Turkish museum is bringing life to a remote backwater

A unique cultural center has sprung up on a remote hilltop in eastern Turkey, bringing life to a region hit by poverty and migration.

A woman holds a "Ozgur Gundem" newspaper in front of a police barricade on August 16, 2016 in Istanbul.
A Turkish court has ordered the temporary closure of a newspaper accusing it of links with Kurdish militants and spreading terrorist propaganda. / AFP / YASIN AKGUL (Photo credit should read YASIN AKGUL/AFP/Getty Images)

Why is Turkey wasting its time arresting peace advocates?

The arrest of renowned author Asli Erdogan on terrorism charges generates questions about Turkey's arbitrary use of emergency law.

Turkish soldiers on an armoured personnel carrier drive towards the border in Karkamis on the Turkish-Syrian border in the southeastern Gaziantep province, Turkey, August 27, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTX2N8HY

Did US drag Turkey into 'Syrian quagmire'?

The Turkish government remains defiant in the face of warnings from the US, but there are those who believe Ankara was forced into the Syrian quagmire by Washington.