Erdogan taps Istanbul prosecutor as justice minister in cabinet reshuffle Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday appointed Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akin Gurlek, who has been overseeing the ongoing investigation against Turkey’s main opposition party as justice minister. Turkey
Analysis Eyeing Turkey, Netanyahu boosts Greece, Cyprus ties ahead of US visit Worried about the increasing empowerment of Turkey across the Middle East, Israel is making a show of neighborhood strength with Greece and Cyprus. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Turkey sentences journalist over 4 years in jail for threatening Erdogan Prominent Turkish journalist Fatih Altayli was sentenced to over four years in prison in a trial government critics say aimed at silencing one of Turkey's most influential journalists and intended to intimidate journalists nationwide. Turkey
Turkey sees FDI rise 58% as investor confidence returns Turkey’s economy is seeing an uptick in foreign investment after a financial downturn punctuated by its highest inflation on record. Turkey
Analysis Emboldened by Suwayda fallout, Syria’s Kurds hold their ground with Damascus By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Is Turkish presidential system helping cause fall in AKP membership? Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s realized goal for Turkey to have an executive presidency may be fast becoming his worst mistake: His party is losing members at the top and from the base and former colleagues are challenging him directly. Can Erdogan survive his party’s decay? Turkey
Political earthquake in Turkey: A regime running amok? Three elected Kurdish mayors were removed from their posts in a move further endangering what remains of Turkey's democracy. Syria
Has Turkey’s policy on Syrian refugees started to backfire? The Syrian refugee question is set to pose a major political headache for Erdogan in the coming period. Syria
Opposition aims to curb Erdogan’s powers after election rout The government’s debacle in local polls in Istanbul and most of Turkey’s other big cities has set the stage for a new power struggle in which the opposition appears bent on trimming Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s powers. The president, in turn, seeks to debilitate the newly elected opposition mayors. Turkey
Opposition retakes Istanbul mayor's office to find powers shrinking As Istanbul’s new Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu retakes office after beating the ruling party's candidate a second time, reports are emerging that his powers and those of other Turkish mayors are already being whittled down. Turkey
Ankara’s economic tasks grow tougher after election rout Reeling from a crushing defeat in a critical election rerun, Turkey’s government faces an uphill track in efforts to fix the economy, littered with major political risks, both at home and abroad. Turkey
Why Erdogan’s historic Istanbul defeat is irreparable The government’s defeat in Istanbul's mayoral election is nothing less than a historic watershed, for Erdogan lacks the means to remedy the factors behind this outcome, mainly the economic crisis bruising the country. Turkey
As Istanbul celebrates, Erdogan-watchers hold breath Turkey's president has so far reacted calmly to his party's second and decisive defeat in the Istanbul mayoral vote, but this hopeful moment could presage a darker future. Turkey
Opposition candidate wins Istanbul mayor's race in blow to AKP Voters rebuke long-time AKP dominance in Istanbul, delivering victory to CHP candidate Ekrem Imamoglu in a controversial election do-over. Turkey
Jailed militant leader enters Istanbul election fray An unexpected message from Abdullah Ocalan, who is serving a life sentence for treason, urged Kurds to stay “neutral” and could tilt the outcome in a bitter campaign for control of Turkey’s biggest city. Turkey
Will Syrian voters be kingmakers in Istanbul's mayoral election? Though small in number, the votes of naturalized Syrians in Turkey could be decisive in the rerun election to select the new mayor of Istanbul, the city with the largest Syrian population outside Syria. Syria
Erdogan faces consequences of his two biggest mistakes Erdogan's repeat strategic blunders may come to haunt him in the June 23 rerun of the Istanbul vote. Turkey
