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Turkey

Turkey

July 26, 2026

Ankara 5:06 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

Will Russia’s move ruin Erdogan’s plan for Syria?

Will Turkey’s rules of engagement against Syrian planes now apply to Russian planes flying near the Turkish border?

A general view shows St George church, the principal Greek Orthodox cathedral, during the Divine Liturgy on November 30, 2014 in Istanbul as part of the Pope Francis' three day visit in Turkey. Pope Francis held an ecumenical prayer, yesterday, in the Orthodox Church of St. George and a private meeting with Patriarch Bartholomew I, the "first among equals" of the world's estimated 300 million Orthodox believers. In a highly symbolic gesture, the pope asked Bartholomew to kiss his brow in a blessing and bowe

Turkey’s non-Muslims demand apology from Ankara

On the 60th anniversary of the Istanbul pogroms, Turkey’s exiled minorities and their descendants are demanding acknowledgment and restitution from the Turkish state.

Journalists face further violence in southeast Turkey

The tension and restrictions that have affected social, economic, education and health services are now threatening journalists, and journalism itself.

Will US, Russia find common ground in Syria?

A common enemy, the Islamic State, should be the first step in an expanded international coalition; does Iraqi Kurdistan face the prospect of "administrative breakup"?

Confidence crisis hits lagging Turkish economy

Turkey's economy is weakening further amid plummeting investor and consumer confidence.

An image distributed by Islamic State militants on social media on August 25, 2015 purports to show the destruction of a Roman-era temple in the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra. Syria's antiquities chief Maamoun Abdulkarim told Reuters the images did appear to show the destruction of the ancient Baal Shamin temple and correlated with descriptions given by residents of the explosion detonated there on Sunday. Five photos were distributed on social media showing explosives being carried inside, being planted a

Turkey major conduit for Syrian 'blood antiquities'

Turkey is a major transit country used by the Islamic State for trafficking looted antiquities, but authorities have not been forthcoming about their seizures.

(R-L) Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan walk to attend a ceremony to open the Moscow Grand Mosque in Moscow, Russia, September 23, 2015. The new mosque, which was erected on the site of the city's original mosque built in 1904 and which has been under reconstruction since 2005, will be able to accommodate up to 10,000 people simultaneously, according to local media. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov - RTX1RZOH

Do Erdogan’s post-Moscow visit remarks indicate change in Syria policy?

Following talks with his Russian counterpart, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vaguely hints at a change in Ankara’s position on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during a ceremony to open the Moscow Grand Mosque in Moscow, Russia, September 23, 2015. The new mosque, which was erected on the site of the city's original mosque built in 1904 and which has been under reconstruction since 2005, will be able to accommodate up to 10,000 people simultaneously, according to local media. REUTERS/Alexei Druzhinin/RIA Novosti/Kremlin ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY A

Putin supports Erdogan in Turkey, but not in Syria

Despite his perceived alignment with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan came back from his trip to Moscow disappointed.

A 20 lira banknote is seen through a magnifying lens in this illustration picture taken in Istanbul January 28, 2014. Turkey's central bank governor raises hopes of emergency rate hike in face of opposition from Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, denying he is hostage to political pressures and vowing to fight rising inflation and tumbling lira. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY - Tags: BUSINESS POLITICS) - RTX17YSG

Soaring bad debts sound alarm in Turkey

Political uncertainty and conflict with the PKK are taking their toll on the Turkish economy, with the number and value of bounced checks on the rise, threatening company bankruptcies and fresh woes in the banking sector.

A high school student wearing a Guy Fawkes mask takes part in a protest against the education policies of the ruling AK Party, as a police vehicle is seen in the background, in Istanbul February 13, 2015. Education is the latest flashpoint between the administration of President Tayyip Erdogan, and secularist Turks who accuse him of overseeing creeping 'Islamisation' in the NATO member state. Parts of some regular schools have been requisitioned to create more places for students in "Imam Hatip" religious s

As Turkey's students head back to class, many fear escalating violence

Millions of students in Turkey are set to return to school Sept. 28, and their families are deeply concerned that the students will be in danger if clashes worsen between the government and PKK.

Kerry's remarks on Syria trouble Turkey

Despite Ankara’s dissatisfaction over suggestions that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has to be part of a settlement, experts say there is little Turkey can do to alter the course of events.

How voters, not politicians, could be the losers in Turkey's November elections

Continued fighting in Turkey is raising security and transparency concerns about the upcoming parliamentary elections.