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Turkey

Turkey

May 17, 2026

Ankara 11:00 pm

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Ships navigate the Bosphorus Strait on May 02, 2026 in Istanbul, Turkey. Since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war against Iran, forcing the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and together with the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, global shipping routes have been severely impacted. Soaring shipping costs, lengthening delivery times and less efficient routes have seen increased pressure on energy markets and supply chains worldwide. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Analysis

Why Turkey sees opportunity in Hormuz crisis to boost Middle Corridor

Ankara seeks to exploit transport disruptions from the Iran, Ukraine wars to push the corridor, but high costs, logistical bottlenecks and South Caucasus politics pose obstacles.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Mazloum Kobane, commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), speaks during the pan-Kurdish "Unity and Consensus" conference in Qamishli in northeastern Syria on April 26, 2025.

Interview

Syrian Kurdish commander Kobane says Turkey visit ‘in the making,’ Ocalan meeting possible

The SDF commander-in-chief reflected on a fragile integration deal with Damascus, growing Kurdish backlash and ongoing talks with Turkey as questions mount over Rojava’s political future.

Mazloum Kobane

Mazloum Kobane

SDF commander in chief

Latest News

Turkey, Armenia to launch direct trade in normalization push: What to know

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, and Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan shake hands before a meeting at Prague Castle in Prague, Czech Republic, Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022.

New Turkey maritime draft bill fuels EastMed tensions with Greece, Cyprus

The helicopter of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lands on Abdulhamid Han drill ship, the fourth built by Turkey, in Mersin on Aug. 9, 2022, before being sent for gas exploration to an undisputed area in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Gazipasa.

Turkey's border reopening unlocks new sphere of influence in Syria

Turkish Red Crescent's cars and trucks cross the Turkish border as they leave the Syrian city of Tel Abyad on Oct. 19, 2019, in Akcakale, Turkey.

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

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a news conference to present the outcome of the G20 leaders summit in Hamburg, Germany July 8, 2017. REUTERS/Axel Schmidt - RC1365923270

Is Erdogan’s re-election a foregone conclusion?

Kurdish sources say that if the presidential election goes to a second round, Kurds would not vote for Good Party leader Meral Aksener but certainly would vote for former President Abdullah Gul if he were on the ballot.

Turkey's incumbent President Abdullah Gul and his wife Hayrunnisa Gul talk to the media as they leave a polling station after casting their votes in Ankara August 10, 2014. Turks began voting on Sunday with Tayyip Erdogan poised to become the country's first elected president, fulfilling his dream of what he calls a "new Turkey" and his opponents say will be an increasingly authoritarian nation. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) - GM1EA8A1K7X01

Turkish opposition dejected as ex-president shuns presidential race

Former Turkish President Abdullah Gul will not run in the swiftly approaching elections, and no other candidate stands much of a chance against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Women attend Friday prayers during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan at the courtyard of Sultanahmet mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque, in Istanbul July 12, 2013. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY - Tags: RELIGION) - GM1E97C1OJG01

Turkish women demand safer, cleaner spaces in mosques

Observant Muslim women have won their struggle to access all public buildings in Turkey and will now take on the mosques.

TOPSHOT - Syrian onlookers gather around rescue teams clearing the rubble in the morning of April 10, 2018 at the site of an explosion of unknown origin which wrecked a multi-storey building the previous night in the war-battered country's northwestern city of Idlib.
The cause of the explosion in the jihadist-held city, which killed more than a ten people and wounded 80, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group, was not immediately clear. / AFP PHOTO / OMAR HAJ KAD

Assad's forces expected to move on to Idlib

The Syrian regime appears ready to target militants in Idlib, but the area is also filled with civilians who have fled there to escape the violence in so many other parts of the country.

A supporter holds a portrait of Selahattin Demirtas, detained leader of Turkey's pro-Kurdish opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) at a meeting at the Turkish parliament in Ankara, Turkey, November 8, 2016, in the absence of Demirtas and other HDP lawmakers who were jailed after refusing to give testimony in a probe linked to "terrorist propaganda". REUTERS/Umit Bektas - D1BEULQHGVAA

Turkey's top Kurdish politician to run for president from behind bars

Turkish opposition Peoples' Democratic Party is nominating its jailed former leader Selahattin Demirtas as its candidate in the upcoming snap elections.

Ankara backtracks on freedom to commemorate Armenian murders

The 2018 commemoration of the Armenian massacres was memorable for the ban on using the word "genocide" and a big drop in attendance.

Afghan refugees walk through a beach where they will wait to board a dinghy sailing off for the Greek island of Chios, while they try to travel from the western Turkish coastal town of Cesme, in Izmir province, Turkey, March 6, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - GF10000335606

Afghans fleeing violence unwelcome in Turkey

Human rights groups warn that thousands of Afghan refugees in Turkey face abuse and deportation as the country focuses on the millions of Syrian asylum-seekers ahead of this summer's vote.

Turkish President and leader of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Recep Tayyip Erdogan greets the audience by making the four-fingers Rabia sign during the AK Party's parliamentary group meeting at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) in Ankara, on April 24, 2018. (Photo by ADEM ALTAN / AFP) (Photo credit should read ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Turkey’s snap elections set to escalate tensions with Europe

Questions about the fairness of the June 24 elections and bans prohibiting Turkish politicians from campaigning in parts of Europe signal new strains ahead in Turkey’s relations with the West.

Can 'de-dollarization' break Iran’s economic isolation?

While there are many risks involved with currency swaps, such endeavors do present an opportunity for Iran to enhance the stability of its economy.

Turkey backs new opposition governance to mend Afrin

A local council in Afrin, Syria, is being formed to help restore the city's services and improve people's quality of life.

Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), arrives at a nomads congress near the southern town of Silifke in Mersin province, Turkey April 22, 2018. REUTERS/Osman Orsal - RC19A5868000

Erdogan breathes new life into Turkey's opposition

An Erdogan victory is looking less inevitable with a move by the Republican People's Party that will allow the right-wing Good Party to contest elections in June and perhaps draw former President Abdullah Gul into the running to once again lead Turkey.

Disgruntled Kurds emerge as potential kingmakers in Turkey’s polls

Kurdish frustration with Ankara’s shift from a policy that favored settlement with the Kurds to hard-line nationalism could sway the outcome of critical snap polls in June.