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

Turkey

Turkey

November 11, 2026

Ankara 6:53 pm

9°C

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) and Central Bank Governor Sahap Kavcioglu attend a signing ceremony with Abu Dhabi’s crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the Presidential Complex in Ankara on Nov. 24, 2021. ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey’s banking watchdog chief submits resignation amid fund scandal

Turkey’s government is facing growing criticism over regulators’ failure to prevent a fund scandal involving more than $20 billion.

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Explainer

Iran war pushes up coal use, complicating Turkey’s COP31 pledge

Turkey is asking world leaders at COP31 to back a global push to use more electricity, even as the Iran war has driven up natural gas prices and pushed some power producers back to coal.

Latest News

Turkey bars MP’s wife from travel after his fund scandal criticism: What to know

OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images

Steel factory explosion in western Turkey kills at least 16

A steel worker works in front of giant iron melting pot in Kardemir Iron and Steel Factory in Karabuk, northwestern Turkey, Aug. 26 2005. (TARIK TINAZAY/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Will Democrats block Trump’s push to deliver Turkey F-35s, lift sanctions?

MEHMET ESER/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Samuel Wendel

Senior Analyst, Middle East Business & Tech

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

Kurdish fighters from the People's Protection Units (YPG) stand near a military vehilce in the southeast of Qamishli city, Syria, April 22, 2016. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RTX2B6V0

Turks question loyalties after picture emerges of US soldiers with YPG patches

Recently published photos of US forces wearing YPG insignia have further strained US-Turkish relations and may even offer a recruitment tool for the Islamic State.

Will Turkey's military might be overshadowed by political failures?

Although the Turkish military is preoccupied with developments in Syria, border security and combating terrorism, its Efes exercise on May 30-31 was a major show of force.

Turkish demonstrators stage a protest against approval of a resolution by Germany's parliament that declares the 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman forces a "genocide" in front of the German Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, June 3, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTX2FHV5

Israel's selective memory on Armenian genocide

The German resolution recognizing the 1915 Armenian genocide highlights Israel's refusal to do so and its preference of political considerations over a moral stance.

Is it Eid or not? Muslims take step toward resolving calendar dispute

Religious representatives from Islamic countries agree to embrace a common calendar to overcome a long-standing conflict on the start of Ramadan, but their past record inspires little optimism for a genuine compromise.

Did Erdogan look the other way during YPG operation in Syria?

The range of Turkey’s howitzers determines the limits of its game in Syria.

Why PayPal is leaving Turkey

US-based online payments giant PayPal will halt its operations in Turkey, but there seems to be more to the story than meets the eye.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, accompanied by his wife Emine Erdogan, greets supporters during a rally to mark the 563rd anniversary of the conquest of the city by Ottoman Turks, in Istanbul, Turkey, May 29, 2016. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RTX2ET1L

Is Erdogan against birth control?

The latest manifestation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s pronatalist agenda insists that Muslim families refrain from using birth control.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel (L) chats with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan during the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, Turkey, May 23, 2016. REUTERS/Ozan Kose/Pool - RTSFJ48

Why is Erdogan threatening showdown on EU visa waiver?

The EU's visa waiver promise to Ankara concerns a relatively small number of Turks who have little sway on Erdogan's political aspirations.

What's next after Germany's Armenian genocide resolution?

The German parliament's historic resolution on the Armenian genocide led to predictable responses from Ankara while creating further uncertainty in Turkey's relations with the West.

Erdogan kicks off African tour with creative history lesson

As Turkey’s relations with the West continue to sour, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is off to try his luck in Africa.

Is Turkey hiding alien encounters?

The number of UFO sightings over Turkey has significantly increased in the past few years, with some Turkish Airlines pilots convinced that the bright lights in the Turkish airspace are in fact UFOs.

Rached Ghannouchi, leader of the Islamist Ennahda movement, speaks during the movement's congress in Tunis, Tunisia May 20, 2016. REUTERS/ Zoubeir Souissi - RTSF8BG

Is Ennahda following in AKP footsteps?

Similar to the AKP's founders, Tunisia’s Ennahda is now seeking to enter a post-Islamist era.