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Turkey

Turkey

May 11, 2026

Ankara 12:20 am

15°C

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - MAY 06: A man poses for a photograph in front of the newly unveiled, Turkish made intercontinental ballistic missile Yildirimhan at the SAHA International Defence and Aerospace Expo on May 06, 2026 in Istanbul, Turkey. The International Defence and Aerospace Exhibition, showcased Turkish and foreign companies new products and technology. The expo was dominated by UAV products as modern warfare increasingly shifts to drone and unmanned technologies. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Analysis

From drones to deterrence: Turkey's ICBM missile signals bigger ambitions

Turkey’s planned test of a 6,000-kilometer missile could boost Ankara’s defense industry prestige, strengthen its deterrence messaging and feed a powerful domestic narrative of technological self-reliance, but it also raises questions about cost, timing and NATO protection.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

MURAT KOCABAS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Culture

How ‘dog mom’ vacuum cleaner ad sparked culture war in Turkey

A Mother’s Day advertisement featuring a “dog mom” triggered a backlash from conservative media, government officials and regulators, turning a soft consumer campaign into a flashpoint over motherhood, declining birth rates, stray dogs and even antisemitism.

Latest News

Turkey, Japan launch defense industry partnership with eye on drones

People look at a drone on display at the Baykar exhibit at the SAHA International Defence and Aerospace Expo on May 06, 2026 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Saudi FM in Turkey as Ankara, Riyadh step up coordination amid Iran war

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara, May 6, 2026.

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

New pipeline in works to transport Iraqi oil to Turkey

Iraq and Turkey are building a brand-new pipeline that will transfer Kirkuk oil to Turkey and tie into Iraq's existing pipeline network.

Regional, international actors risk making matters worse in Iraq's Sinjar

The conflict over controlling the strategic area of Sinjar along Iraq's borders with Turkey and Syria has made the Yazidis' situation worse.

Turkey's pro-Kurdish HDP returns from Erbil with no news on PKK talks

A delegation from Turkey’s largest pro-Kurdish party paid a visit to Iraqi Kurdistan that many Kurds hoped would lead to renewed dialogue between Turkey and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, but nothing concrete seems to have yet emerged.

Turkish military vehicles patrol near the Syrian town of Saraqeb in the northwestern province of Idlib on September 4, 2019. (Photo by Omar HAJ KADOUR / AFP) (Photo credit should read OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP/Getty Images)

Can Turkey escape the fireball in Idlib?

Protesters in Idlib are calling Turkey traitorous, but that’s only a small part of the big picture, in which radical jihadi groups emerge as a fireball in all scenarios for Ankara, entertaining menacing ambitions.

Ekrem Imamoglu, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Istanbul mayoral candidate, is pictured with his party's Istanbul chair Canan Kaftancioglu during a campaign coordination meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, May 22, 2019. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC1C172A6B30

A generational change is looming in Turkish politics

New names for the post-Erdogan era signify a generational change in Turkish politics.

A demonstrator holds scarf reading "Do not touch my Academics" in front of the Justice Palace during first of a series of trials that will begin against a total of some 150 academics from public and private universities accused of spreading terrorist propaganda, in Istanbul, Turkey December 5, 2017. REUTERS/Osman Orsal - RC1A923E7380

More academics acquitted in Turkey, sparking cautious hope

A Turkish court ruling has led to the acquittal of 27 academics convicted and on trial over terror charges, but the shaken defendants are hesitant to believe the decision will stand and be extended to hundreds of their purged colleagues.

A police oficer stands next to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) during Teknofest airshow at the city's new airport under construction in Istanbul, Turkey September 22, 2018. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC1D5D404840

Turkish drones in Libya are a strategic and family affair

Drones manufactured by the company of the Turkish president’s son-in-law been prominently involved in what has become a proxy war between Turkey and the UAE in Libya.

United Arab Emirates

A Turkish military vehicle returns after a joint U.S.-Turkey patrol in northern Syria, as it is pictured from near the Turkish town of Akcakale, Turkey, September 8, 2019. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC1967E7F3C0

Pentagon says it’s 'on time' with Syria safe zone despite questions

The Pentagon said Monday it is "on time" or ahead of schedule in most areas of setting up a safe zone in Syria after initial patrols with Turkish troops over the weekend, despite lingering questions about the size and depth of the area.

American and Turkish soldiers walk together during a joint U.S.-Turkey patrol, near Tel Abyad, Syria September 8, 2019. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RC15B521C410

Joint US-Turkish patrols begin in north Syria amid Kurdish concerns

Turkish and US troops have begun joint ground patrols in the area of Tell Abyad, the first time Turkish troops crossed into the US-protected and Kurdish-administered zone.

FILE PHOTO: A Kurdish refugee boy from the Syrian town of Kobani holds onto a fence that surrounds a refugee camp in the border town of Suruc, Sanliurfa province, November 3, 2014. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis/File photo SEARCH "YANNIS BEHRAKIS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. - RC190D47D5F0

Erdogan plays Syrian refugee card against Europe

Turkey has relaxed its harsh policies on Syrian refugees while it reaches out to Europe for more assistance, but the move does not mean Ankara has given up on expelling as many as it can.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan greets his supporters during a ceremony in Istanbul, Turkey, June 19, 2019. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC1905AECB00

Why does Erdogan want nuclear weapons?

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has for the first time made his nuclear ambitions public, arguing that it is unacceptable for Turkey to not have nuclear weapons while other countries do.

Syrians ready to flee to Turkey as soon as border opens

Syrians recently protested in Idlib, calling on Turkey to open a humanitarian corridor so they can escape the government shelling.