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Turkey

Turkey

May 11, 2026

Ankara 4:07 am

12°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

Turkey's Central Bank headquarters is seen in Ankara January 24, 2014. Turkey received a vote of confidence in its underlying economic health on Thursday, with foreign investors lapping up a $2.5 billion eurobond issue even as a corruption scandal swirled and the central bank intervened to prop up the lira. The graft investigation, one of the biggest threats to Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's 11-year rule, has shaken Turkey in recent weeks, helping send the lira into a tailspin and heightening uncertainty a

Ankara’s economic measures risk scaring off foreign banks

Foreign-capital banks operating in Turkey are growing uneasy over economic measures aimed at pushing lenders to toe the line with government policies.

Turkish defense minister claims pivotal role in Syria

Turkey's Defense Minister Hulusi Akar has gotten deeply involved in tactical and operational matters and anxiety is growing in the Turkish military and the ruling party that Akar is taking the reins in Syria.

Are Libyan Turks Ankara’s Trojan horse?

The descendants of Ottoman Turks represent an important foothold for Turkey in Libya, but the community is dispersed in various political and military camps, with some even resentful toward Ankara.

IDLIB, SYRIA - AUGUST 22: Turkish military armoured vehicles are deployed to the observations point in Idlib, de-escalation zone, Syria on August 22, 2019. (Photo by Izeddin Idilbi/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

End game looms for Turkey in Idlib

Turkey has found itself with little room to maneuver in Idlib after its last-minute moves failed to avert the fall of Khan Sheikhoun in a Syrian army offensive that seemed to be a response to the new Turkish-US partnership to the east of the Euphrates River.

A general view of Nizip refugee camp, near the Turkish-Syrian border in Gaziantep province, Turkey, November 30, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC137324E500

Turkey recalibrates refugee policy as Idlib fighting displaces more Syrians

Turkey’s Interior Ministry is moving to formalize refugee policies as new wave of displaced Syrians amasses in Idlib.

U.S. soldiers stand beside a U.S. Patriot missile system at a Turkish military base in Gaziantep, southeastern Turkey, October 10, 2014. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg of Norway is expected to visit U.S. patriot troops in Gaziantep later in the day. REUTERS/Osman Orsal (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY CONFLICT) - GM1EAAA1BJP01

Turkey’s Patriot offer dead after S-400 delivery

The Donald Trump administration automatically rescinded a $3.5 billion deal to sell Patriot missile defenses to Turkey after it took delivery of a Russian alternative in July, US officials have told Al-Monitor.

Will Turkey's oldest library sweep Aga Khan prize?

The restoration of Beyazit State Library, established by Sultan Abdulhamid II in 1884, has been short-listed for the prestigious Aga Khan Award for Architecture.

Members of the Civil Defence, also known as the 'White Helmets', are seen inspecting the damage at a Roman ruin site in Daraa, Syria December 23, 2017. REUTERS/Alaa al-Faqir - RC1DDC3A3F50

Young Syrians flee Daraa, Quneitra in droves

Young people have been taking flight from Daraa and Quneitra in bids to find decent jobs and to avoid having to serve in the Syrian army.

Turkey faces losses in Syria east, west of the Euphrates River

Ankara’s attempts to play Russia and the United States off against each other may be gaining it very little and could leave it losing more than it expected.

Police use a water cannon to disperse demonstrators during a protest against the replacement of Kurdish mayors with state officials in three cities, in Diyarbakir, Turkey, August 20, 2019. REUTERS/Sertac Kayar - RC13B9CF81F0

Turkey attacks Kurdish protesters as world shrugs

Police brutality has reared its head as demonstrations continue in Diyarbakir over the replacement of three Kurdish mayors in Turkey’s Kurdish-majority southeast by state appointees.

IDLIB, SYRIA - AUGUST 19: Turkish military convoy is seen on August 19, 2019 in Syria's northern province of Idlib. Syrian regime launches airstrikes on Maarat Al-Numan town as a convoy of Turkish military vehicles passes through the town. An airstrike killed three civilians and injured 12 others during a transfer to Turkeys observation point in Syrias Idlib.
(Photo by Izzettin Idilbi/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Turkey questions why Russia didn't prevent Idlib attack

The Syrian airstrike this week against a Turkish military convoy in Idlib has prompted speculation that Russia and Syria are cooperating at Turkey's expense.

A convoy of Turkish military vehicles is pictured near the town of Maar Hitat in northern Syria's Idlib province on August 19, 2019. - A Turkish military convoy crossed into northwest Syria today, heading towards a key town where regime forces are waging fierce battles with jihadists and rebels. (Photo by Omar HAJ KADOUR / AFP) (Photo credit should read OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP/Getty Images)

Turkey vexed with Russia after Syria strikes convoy

Following Syrian airstrikes on a Turkish convoy, Russia appears to be keeping calm and staying the course, but developments on the ground are spinning quickly.