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

Turkey

Turkey

July 28, 2026

Ankara 7:00 am

19°C

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi speaks during a meeting with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (not pictured) at the Pentagon on July 14, 2026 in Arlington, Virginia.

Zaidi to meet Erdogan as Turkey-Iraq ties take off, Kurds feel sidelined

The Iraqi prime minister's visits to Ankara and Riyadh underscore Baghdad's push to deepen regional ties as Turkey seeks closer cooperation on energy and security.

Vendors sell dry food as people shop by a banner reading " No to Inflation" near the New Mosque area in Istanbul's Eminonu district on Nov. 6, 2018.

Analysis

Iran war puts Turkey’s inflation fight, lira under fresh pressure

A prolonged Iran war is leaving Turkey's economy management caught between maintaining painful monetary tightening and cutting rates before the economy is ready.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

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

Latest News

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

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.

Explainer

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

David's Sling.

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

Miners work in a coal mine in the Black Sea city of Zonguldak, northern Turkey, December 5, 2013. Turkish mining experts said the country's rules and guidelines are not as extensive as some other countries. Turkey does not even have a specific set of safety regulations for the coal industry, said Dr. H. Sebnem Duzgun, a professor with the mining engineering department of Middle East Technical University in Ankara. Yet, with safety regulators across the world increasingly adopting an approach that puts more

Turkey and the politics of coal

The Turkish government distributed 17 million tons of free coal to the needy, which was widely seen as an election bribe.

A fighter from Zintan brigade watches as smoke rises after rockets fired by one of Libya's militias struck and ignited a fuel tank in Tripoli August 2, 2014. On Saturday, sporadic shelling resumed in the capital after two days of relative calm. Plumes of black smoke rose over the south of Tripoli from a burning fuel tank at the airport's fuel depot. REUTERS/Hani Amara (LIBYA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR411E4

Turkey’s war in Libya

The Turkish government denies that it is taking sides in Libya, between the governments in Tobruk and Tripoli.

Military personnel and policemen march during a parade for their graduation ceremony in Kirkuk, 250 km (155 miles) north of Baghdad February 15, 2010. The "Golden Lions", a mixed squad consisting of U.S. military personnel, Iraqi and Peshmerga soldiers as well as policemen graduated from the academy in Kirkuk after finishing a month of training on Monday, police official said. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed (IRAQ - Tags: MILITARY POLITICS) - RTR2AAYS

Anti-IS coalition's 'train-and-equip' program not enough

The problem with the US-led coalition's "train-and-equip" program is not finding committed soldiers willing to fight but rather finding dedicated, capable leaders to command them.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan addresses members of parliament from his ruling AK Party (AKP) during a meeting at the parliament in Ankara January 14, 2014. Erdogan looks to have the upper hand in a civil war rocking Turkey's political establishment, but his bid to break the influence of a potent Islamic cleric could roll back reforms and undermine hard-won business confidence. What erupted a month ago as a damaging inquiry into alleged government corruption has spiralled into a battle over the judi

Prominent Islamic scholar accuses AKP of corruption

The widely respected Hayrettin Karaman, a key supporter of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party, has openly criticized the ruling elite as corrupt.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople (2L) accompanies Pope Francis as he departs from Istanbul after a three day visit, November 30, 2014. Pope Francis said Islamic militants were carrying out a "profoundly grave sin against God" in Syria and Iraq, calling on Sunday for inter-religious dialogue and action against poverty to help end the conflicts there. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS RELIGION) - RTR4G4WB

Pope Francis hopes for better ties between Turks, Armenians

Odds appear stacked against Pope Francis’ desire for the Turkish and Armenian nations to overcome their historic differences and achieve reconciliation.

British actor Daniel Craig poses during the presentation of the latest James Bond 007 film "Skyfall" at Ciragan Palace in Istanbul on April 29, 2012. AFP PHOTO/BULENT KILIC (Photo credit should read BULENT KILIC/AFP/GettyImages)

Turkey looks to lure Hollywood filmmakers

Seeking to attract European and American filmmakers to Turkey, the Culture and Tourism Ministry has drafted a bill to meet 25% of the costs of foreign productions shot there.

Turkish demonstrators shout anti-Israel slogans during a demonstration in Istanbul November 5, 2014. REUTERS/Osman Orsal (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR4D076

Israel: Turkey insincere about mending fences

Several emissaries are trying to reconcile Turkey and Israel, but the latter feels that resetting relations requires a sincere change of approach: an end to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's declarations against Israel and to his support for Hamas terror.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and Chief of Staff General Hilmi Ozkok are accompanied by a female officer as thek walk past Turkish memorial in Gallipoli. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Chief of Staff General Hilmi Ozkok are accompanied by a female officer as they walk past Turkish memorial in Gallipoli, in western Turkey, March 18, 2005. Turkey marked today the 90th anniversary of the World War One battle which Turkish forces defeated allied forces in Dardanelles straits in 1915, cla

Turkey's women expand role in military

The Turkish army is witnessing a rapid increase of females in its ranks.

Newspapers are displayed at a newsstand on January 24, 2012 in the Karakoy neighborhood of Istanbul. Turkish newspapers criticized the January 23 vote by the French Senate making denial of the Armenian genocide a crime. The French Senate on January 23 approved, by 127 votes to 86, the measure which makes it an offence punishable by jail in France to deny that the 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman Turk forces amounted to genocide. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on January 24 slammed as discr

Turkey’s pro-Erdogan media purge

The unexpected dismissals of three top executives from two of Turkey’s key pro-Erdogan newspapers has led to questions about the power games in the ruling AKP.

A masked member of Hamas stands in front of a banner depicting Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan during a protest in Central Gaza Strip June 4, 2010, against Israel's interception of Gaza-bound ships. Israeli marines stormed a Turkish aid ship bound for Gaza on Monday and at least nine pro-Palestinian activists were killed, triggering a diplomatic crisis and an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR2ER4P

Turkey's Hamas 'bureau'

Hamas activist Saleh al-Arouri, previously expelled from Israel, found refuge in Turkey, where he managed to create a militant alternative to the movement’s splintered leadership.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden (L) meets with Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan at Beylerbeyi Palace in Istanbul November 22, 2014. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR4F5NS

Erdogan slams US on Syria again, days after Biden visit

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan calls US "impertinent" on Syria, says West likes seeing Muslim children die; Israel considers extension of Iran nuclear talks as better than a bad deal.

A staff adjusts European Union and Turkish (L) flags ahead of the arrival of Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (not pictured) at the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels January 21, 2014. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir (BELGIUM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX17NSQ

Erdogan turns back on EU membership bid

Influential voices in Turkey are worried about the impression that Turkey and the EU are drifting apart and what this will do to Turkey’s political reform process.