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Turkey

Turkey

July 26, 2026

Ankara 1:22 am

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Ozgur Ozel

Analysis

What challenges await Erdogan’s new rival and Turkey’s new opposition party?

Ousted main opposition leader Ozgur Ozel's bid to challenge Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan depends on surviving a widening legal crackdown and reconciling deep ideological, nationalist and Kurdish divisions within his own coalition.

Halil Karaveli

By Halil Karaveli

Turkey’s main opposition Republican People's Party's (CHP) Ousted party leader Ozgur Ozel waves to supporters from atop a police water cannon vehicle after being forcibly evicted by police from his party’s headquarters on May 24, 2026 in Ankara, Turkey.

Top ally of Turkey’s Erdogan backs state funding for Ozel’s breakaway party

Devlet Bahceli’s suggestion exposes a more nuanced position within the country’s governing alliance over the ongoing legal crackdown against Turkey’s main opposition.

Latest News

Explainer

As Turkey rivalry heats up, Greece to acquire $4B Israeli air defense system

David's Sling.

Turkey to begin surveys for planned northern Cyprus gas pipeline

Turkey's servicemen stand at attention on a Turkish submarine as they participate in the live-fire phase of the Blue Homeland 2026 tactical military exercises in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, in Antalya on April 9, 2026.

Iran's Araghchi reveals Turkey's role in thwarting Kurdish offensive

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks during a joint press conference with his Iraqi counterpart following a meeting in Baghdad on June 28, 2026.

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

Is Ankara putting out false information about peace rally bombings?

Despite ample intelligence warnings, the bombers of the Ankara peace rally were able to accomplish their mission, assisted not only by security failures and negligence but also by the political climate.

U.S. Defence Secretary Ashton Carter (R) speaks during a news conference with his British counterpart Michael Fallon at Lancaster House in London, Britain October 9, 2015. U.S. President Barack Obama will overhaul Washington's approach to supporting Syrian rebel forces following this year's deeply troubled launch of a U.S. military training program, Carter said on Friday. REUTERS/Jonathan Brady/pool - RTS3QRE

Is it time for a surge in Syria?

A group of current and former US officials concludes that current US policy toward the Islamic State is not working, and that more needs to be done in both the diplomatic and military spheres to end the Syrian civil war.

Terror in Turkey

Unless Turkey changes priorities, it will be more vulnerable to Islamic State attacks.

Turkey’s plane project hits turbulence

Technical, economic and political problems threaten TRJet, Turkey’s first passenger plane.

Turkish Defence Minister Mehmet Vecdi Gonul (front R) waits for the start of a NATO defence ministers meeting at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium October 8, 2015. NATO said it was prepared to send troops to Turkey to defend its ally after violations of Turkish airspace by Russian jets bombing Syria and Britain scolded Moscow for escalating a civil war that has already killed 250,000 people. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir - RTS3J5P

Once-frosty Erdogan warms up to NATO

Russia’s military intervention in Syria is forcing Turkey's president to acknowledge he needs NATO.

Children play between damaged building after a security operation in Sur district in the Kurdish dominated southeastern city of Diyarbakir, Turkey, October 13, 2015. A top Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) commander was quoted on Monday as saying the group would stick to a unilateral ceasefire announced at the weekend despite Turkish air strikes against its positions in southeast Turkey and northern Iraq. Unrest continued elsewhere in the mainly Kurdish region, with the historic Sur district of Diyarbakir city

PKK declares unilateral cease-fire, hopes the 10th time's a charm

Heeding calls by Kurdish politicians and civil society, the PKK announced a unilateral cease-fire ahead of the Nov. 1 elections, but Ankara continues to target the militants.

Why is Turkey's government choosing to protect itself instead of its citizens?

The Turkish government is so busy trying to protect itself, it might be neglecting to protect its citizens adequately.

Amnesty International accuses Kurdish YPG of war crimes

Amnesty International is accusing the autonomous Kurdish administration in northern Syria of committing war crimes.

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan makes his speech during a rally against recent Kurdish militant attacks on Turkish security forces in Istanbul, Turkey, September 20, 2015. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu attended the rally with the slogan "millions of people with a single voice against terror" at central Istanbul. REUTERS/Murad Sezer TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTS20OA

Turkish parties large-handed in election pledges

The election pledges of Turkish parties strain the limits of both the imagination and the budget.

A Turkish flag flies at the HSBC headquarters in Istanbul, Turkey, June 9, 2015. HSBC will shed almost 50,000 jobs and take an ax to its investment bank, cutting the assets of Europe's biggest lender by a quarter in a bid to simplify and improve its sluggish performance. The bank said on Tuesday about half the staff cuts will come from the sale of businesses in Brazil and Turkey. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RTX1FRE5

Tough times ahead for Turkey's economy

Warned about their mounting foreign debts, Turkish companies are having problems finding external financing.

Netanyahu weighs more aggressive action as Hamas leader backs 'intifada'

The Israeli prime minister is under pressure from the Israeli right as Israeli-Palestinian violence escalates; Syrian Kurdish leaders back Russian intervention to battle the Islamic State.

Fighters of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) patrol in the streets of the northern Syrian town of Kobani January 28, 2015. Kurdish forces battled Islamic State fighters outside Kobani on Tuesday, a monitoring group said, a day after Kurds said they had taken full control of the northern Syrian town following a four-month battle. Known as Ayn al-Arab in Arabic, the mainly Kurdish town close to the Turkish border has become a focal point in the international fight against Islamic State, an al Qaeda

US to arm Syrian Kurds, rebel groups fighting IS

The Pentagon will pause its beleaguered Syria train and equip program to instead provide arms and air support to Syrian Kurdish and Arab rebel groups already fighting the Islamic State.