Turkey - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Turkey

Turkey

May 14, 2026

Ankara 2:07 am

15°C

Mazloum Kobane, commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), speaks during the pan-Kurdish "Unity and Consensus" conference in Qamishli in northeastern Syria on April 26, 2025.

Interview

Syrian Kurdish commander Kobane says Turkey visit ‘in the making,’ Ocalan meeting possible

The SDF commander-in-chief reflected on a fragile integration deal with Damascus, growing Kurdish backlash and ongoing talks with Turkey as questions mount over Rojava’s political future.

Mazloum Kobane

Mazloum Kobane

SDF commander in chief

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, and Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan shake hands before a meeting at Prague Castle in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022.

Turkey, Armenia to launch direct trade in normalization push: What to know

The move removes a decades-old reexport mechanism routed largely through Georgia as Ankara and Yerevan step up normalization efforts.

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.

Latest News

Analysis

From drones to deterrence: Turkey's ICBM missile signals bigger ambitions

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)

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Culture

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

MURAT KOCABAS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

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

After 20-year break, these Iranian Kurds are taking up arms again

In a surprise development, the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran, which has not used guns against the Iranian regime for 20 years, has resumed fighting, reportedly instigated by regional powers.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators wave Turkish and Palestinian flags as they await the return of the expelled activists from Israel to Turkey, in downtown Istanbul late June 2, 2010. Israel began expelling all activists seized during a raid on an aid convoy sailing to Gaza that has drawn international outrage and officials on Wednesday vowed to prevent any other ships from reaching the coastal territory. Israel had said it would deport 682 activists from more than 35 countries taken into custody after the marit

How Erdogan’s Israeli gambit may cost him Islamist support

For the first time, the Islamist opposition is raising its voice loudly against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, decrying the normalization agreement with Israel.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin (L) and Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan sit next to each other during their meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan, June 13, 2015. REUTERS/Alexei Druzhinin/RIA Novosti/Kremlin ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS. - RTX1GBHP

Has Turkey finally made nice with Russia?

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s apology appears to have broken the ice with Russia, but the relationship still needs time to thaw.

(L-R) Ayelet, Zur, Lea, Simcha and Haimi, the family of Israeli soldier Lieutenant Hadar Goldin mourn during his funeral in Kfar Saba, near Tel Aviv August 3, 2014. An Israeli air strike killed 10 people and wounded about 30 on Sunday in a U.N.-run school in the southern Gaza Strip, a Palestinian official said, as dozens died in Israeli shelling of the enclave and Hamas fired rockets at Israel. The Israeli military said it was looking into the attack, the second to hit a school in less than a week. And amid

Why Israel-Turkey deal didn't include return of IDF soldiers' remains

Israel's Cabinet ministers made the decision that in the case of the agreement with Turkey, national interest prevailed over the human concern to return the bodies of killed soldiers.

ISTANBUL, Turkey: Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech in Istanbul on 12 October 2005 during the visit of German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. Their talks were expected to focus on bilateral issues but also on the start of Turkey's membership negotiations with the European Union. AFP PHOTO DDP/MARCUS BRANDT (Photo credit should read MARCUS BRANDT/AFP/Getty Images)

Why Brexit makes life harder for Turkey

By voting to leave the European Union, Britons not only deepened Europe’s crisis, but dealt a blow to Turkey as well.

What airport attack means for Turkey's Syria policy

Until now, Ankara had sought to refocus the anger against IS on Kurdish groups, but does Tuesday’s attack mean this strategy will change?

What's really driving Turkish-Israeli reconciliation?

Turkey has started what looks like a sharp turn in its relations with Israel in consideration of shared security and military priorities, though it will take some time to rebuild ties to their former levels.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan makes a speech during his meeting with mukhtars at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, March 16, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTSAPB4

How Erdogan became Turkey’s biggest media boss

A ferocious onslaught on critical media over the past year has left President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as Turkey’s biggest media boss.

Paramedics push a stretcher at Turkey's largest airport, Istanbul Ataturk, Turkey, following a blast June 28, 2016. REUTERS/Osman Orsal - RTX2IR3E

Will airport attack push Ankara to revive peace process with PKK?

If Turks had any delusion of seeing IS somehow less dangerous than the PKK, then they must have been woken by the ferocious attack on the Ataturk airport.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan arrives to take part in the jenazah, an Islamic funeral prayer, for the late boxing champion Muhammad Ali in Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. June 9, 2016. REUTERS/Adrees Latif - RTSGS76

Is Israel's agreement with Turkey a sign of Bibi's leadership?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boasted that the reconciliation agreement signed with Turkey reflects leadership on his part, but in truth he had no choice other than to make this decision.

A riot police officer stands guard at the entrance of the Ataturk airport in Istanbul, Turkey, following a multiple suicide bombing, early June 29, 2016. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RTX2IS3C

Who’s behind Istanbul airport attack?

The attack at Istanbul Ataturk Airport on June 28 has triggered debate over whether Ankara is having problems deciding the priorities in its struggle against the Kurdistan Workers Party and the Islamic State.

Erdogan pens education plan for Turkey's 'devout generation'

Turkey’s ruling party has paved the way for a controversial education foundation that many see as a parallel system to educate young people in line with the AKP's ideology and Islamist tenets.