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Turkey

Turkey

August 1, 2026

Ankara 10:45 pm

22°C

A demonstrator carries a CHP flag during a protest in Izmir, Turkey, on May 24, 2026.

Explainer

What’s behind Turkey’s latest wave of arrests against opposition mayors?

The operations come as Ozgur Ozel’s newly formed party gains momentum.

Latest News

Turkey, Pakistan among 14 countries backing Saudi Arabia's anti-Houthi Red Sea alliance

A Saudi navy ship is pictured docked at King Faisal navy base in Jeddah before the departure of a team to Port Sudan to help with the evacuation efforts of people fleeing Sudan, on April 29, 2023.

Turkey ready to participate in post-UNIFIL force in Lebanon, Erdogan tells Aoun

Erdogan and Aoun

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

A member of Palestinian security forces loyal to Hamas rides in a pickup truck as he patrols the border area between Egypt and southern Gaza Strip July 1, 2013. Egyptian soldiers and members of Palestinian security forces loyal to Hamas are on alert to guard the border area after massive protests in Egypt, Hamas officials said. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX118IN

Hamas, First Victim of Egypt Revolt

Hamas will be the first group to pay a high price in the wake of Mohammed Morsi's and the Muslim Brotherhood's collapse in Egypt.

People march during a gay pride parade in central Istanbul June 30, 2013. Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters teamed up with a planned gay pride march in Istanbul. Crowds were stopped by riot police from entering Taksim, the centre of previous protests, but the atmosphere appeared peaceful. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST SOCIETY) - RTX1179R

LGBT Turks Seek to Capitalize On Gezi Good Will

While record numbers participated in Turkey's annual LGBT pride parade, some still doubt whether this atmosphere will help them in their fight for acceptance.

A Syrian refugee woman lies down as she rests in front of her makeshift tent in the town of Viransehir in Sanliurfa province, southeast Turkey, February 10, 2013. Some 50 families, mostly from villages near Syria's Aleppo, prefer to settle in the outskirts of Viransehir instead of refugee camps run by the Turkish government. According to the families, this allows them to work as seasonal agricultural workers. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS SOCIETY CIVIL UNREST BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT) - RTR3DL0G

Turkey’s Syria Refugee Crisis

Turkey struggles to handle an increasingly taxing Syrian refugee crisis.

A participant walks past a poster during a meeting of the shareholders of the gas pipeline Nabucco West in Sofia January 10, 2013. The Nabucco West pipeline project has reached a funding deal with companies in the Shah Deniz consortium, boosting its prospects in a competition between two projects that aim to pipe Azeri gas into Europe. The European Union supports the delivery of Azeri gas to the region, which is expected to start in 2018 regardless of the pipeline chosen, to reduce the EU's dependency on Ru

What Did Turkey Lose When EU Lost Nabucco?

Turkey has lost an opportunity to redefine the implicit rules of the energy sector for itself and other transit countries.

Protesters opposing Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi gather during a demonstration at Tahrir Square in Cairo June 30, 2013. Egyptians poured onto the streets on Sunday, swelling crowds that opposition leaders hope will number into the millions by evening and persuade Islamist President Mohamed Mursi to resign. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTX117HY

It's the Egyptian Identity, Stupid

The first Egyptian revolution was about freedom, justice and dignity, but the new wave of protests is about defending Egyptian identity.

Madjid Bougherra (R) of Lekhwiya receives the trophy from Qatar's Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani at Al-Sadd Stadium after the final match of the Crown Prince Cup soccer tournament against Al-Sadd in Doha May 4, 2013. REUTERS/Fadi Al-Assaad (QATAR - Tags: SPORT SOCCER ROYALS) - RTXZAGP

Will Sheikh Tamim Rebalance Qatar’s Foreign Policy?

In the first article of a two-part series, Qatar’s new emir will likely follow his father's course, but Qatar’s may be forced to adjust its approach to international affairs.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan addresses members of parliament from his ruling AK Party (AKP) during a meeting at the Turkish parliament in Ankara June 25, 2013. Turkish anti-terrorism police detained 20 people in raids in the capital Ankara on Tuesday in connection with weeks of anti-government protests across the country, media reports said. The unrest began at the end of May when police used force against campaigners opposed to plans to redevelop a central Istanbul park. The protest spiralled int

Turkey's Political Fallout On Iraqi Kurdish Crude

Relying upon Ankara as a sole energy transit route without an agreement with Baghdad may further delay the Kurdistan Region’s energy production potential.

Protesters shout slogans during an anti-government protest at Taksim Square in Istanbul June 29, 2013. Thousands of protesters marched to Istanbul's Taksim Square on Saturday chanting slogans against the government and police after security forces killed a Kurdish demonstrator in southeastern Turkey. The protest had been planned as part of larger unrelated anti-government demonstrations that have swept through the country since the end of May, but became a voice of solidarity with the Kurds after Friday's k

Turkey’s Kurdish Peace Process On a Knife’s Edge

The killing of a Kurdish protester by Turkish security forces has heightened fears that the fragile peace between the government and the PKK may be coming to an end.

Protesters shout slogans during a demonstration against Turkish security forces, after an incident in the Lice district of Diyarbakir province killed one person and wounded seven on Friday, in Istanbul June 29, 2013. Turkish security forces killed one person and wounded seven on Friday when they fired on a group of people protesting against construction of a new gendarmerie outpost in Kurdish-dominated southeastern Turkey, security sources said. The incident happened in the village of Kayacik in the Lice di

Turkish Kurds Find Common Ground With Protesters

A visit to Turkey’s Kurdish southeast reveals common ground between the Gezi Park protesters and Turkish Kurds.

Media takes images of a protester holding a flag in front of a riot police vehicle during a protest at Taksim Square in Istanbul June 11, 2013. Turkish riot police moved on Tuesday into the central Istanbul square at the heart of 10 days of anti-government protests, firing tear gas and water cannon at hundreds of protesters armed with rocks and fireworks. REUTERS/Osman Orsal (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX10K7N

Turkish Media a Casualty Of Erdogan’s Policies

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's policies have eroded the credibility of Turkey's mainstream media.

A protester is detained by plainclothes police officers during an anti-government protest at Taksim Square in Istanbul June 29, 2013. Thousands of protesters marched to Istanbul's Taksim Square on Saturday chanting slogans against the government and police after security forces killed a Kurdish demonstrator in southeastern Turkey. The protest had been planned as part of larger unrelated anti-government demonstrations that have swept through the country since the end of May, but became a voice of solidarity

AKP May Have Gotten Message From Gezi Park

The Justice and Development Party (AKP) may be coming around to the notion that participatory, not majoritarian, democracy is the answer for Turkey.

Protesters opposing Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi wave Egyptian flags and shout slogans against him and members of the Muslim Brotherhood, during a protest in front of El-Thadiya presidential palace in Cairo June 30, 2013. Millions of Egyptians flooded into the streets on the first anniversary of Islamist President Mursi's inauguration on Sunday to demand that he resign in the biggest challenge so far to rule by his Muslim Brotherhood. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) -

Egypt Springs Again

Al-Monitor’s coverage of the pro-democracy movements in Egypt and Turkey.