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

Turkey

Turkey

June 19, 2026

Ankara 11:33 pm

17°C

A Turkish police officers patrols at the scene of a motor-bike bomb explosion, next to a police station on Oct. 6, 2016, in Istanbul.

Turkey captures alleged ISIS-K media chief near Afghanistan-Pakistan border

The capture comes as Turkish authorities intensify raids against Islamic State networks following recent attacks and alleged plots.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets with Orthodox Patriarch of Bartholomew at the presidential complex, Ankara, Turkey, June 16, 2026.

Culture

Turkey’s Erdogan meets Orthodox patriarch amid push for reopening Halki Seminary

The meeting comes ahead of US President Trump’s expected attendance at next month's NATO leaders’ summit in Turkey, after Trump personally urged his Turkish counterpart to reopen the Halki Seminary.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attends the NATO Foreign Ministers' meeting in Helsingborg, Sweden, on May 22, 2026.

Turkey’s Fidan heads to Moscow as S-400 sanctions issue returns to fore

The visit comes weeks before Turkey hosts NATO leaders, on the sidelines of which Ankara hopes to reach a deal with Washington over CAATSA sanctions over its purchase of Russian S-400s.

Latest News

Analysis

Erdogan-Netanyahu war of words signals deeper rivalry for regional influence

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Turkish House in New York on Sept. 19, 2023.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Feature

Turkey’s World Cup return clouded by politics, dawn kickoffs

Yasin AKGUL / AFP via Getty Images

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

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

Why Turkey's hostile stance doesn't worry PYD leader

PYD leader Salih Muslim told Al-Monitor they are not worried about Ankara's hostile stance toward the PYD and YPG, and ruled out Turkish military action targeting al-Bab in Syria.

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan attends a Republic Day ceremony at Anitkabir, the mausoleum of modern Turkey's founder Ataturk, to mark the republic's anniversary in Ankara, Turkey, October 29, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTX2QXQ0

AKP targets judicial independence in latest post-coup takedown

Turkey's judicial oversight body has been disbanded in the aftermath of the coup attempt, as Ankara continues to dissolve independent institutions and replace them with pro-government ones.

A protester holds a Turkish flag under a sign of the U.S. consulate in Istanbul, during a demonstration against the U.S. policy over northern Iraq as well as the killing of Turkish soldiers by PKK Kurdish rebels in southeast Turkey, October 26, 2007. Turkish helicopters ferried more troops to the border with Iraq on Friday as diplomatic efforts got under way in Ankara to avert a major offensive against Kurdish guerrillas based in northern Iraq. REUTERS/Fatih Saribas (TURKEY) - RTR1VCO0

US order to evacuate dependents worries Turks

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seems indifferent to Western countries' warnings about the increased likelihood of terror attacks in Turkey, but citizens there are taking note.

A Syrian refugee teacher distributes books to her refugee students in their classroom at Fatih Sultan Mehmet School in Karapurcek district of Ankara, Turkey, September 28, 2015. Out of 640,000 Syrian children in Turkey, 400,000 are not at school, a Turkish official told Reuters on Friday, warning that those who miss out are likely to be exploited by "gangs and criminals". Educating the children among more than 2.2 million Syrian refugees in Turkey - most of whom live outside purpose-built camps - is seen as

Educating Syrian refugees still a challenge in Turkey

Syrian refugee children in Turkey are being educated in a variety of government, private and religious schools.

People are pictured outside the parliament building in Ankara, Turkey July 16, 2016, after an attempted Turkish military coup. REUTERS/Tumay Berkin - RTSI91O

'Putin's Rasputin' pushes Russian alliance in parliament visit to AKP

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party formally met with the Russian president’s special adviser Alexander Dugin, who was busy nurturing the seeds of Turkish suspicion of the United States long before the attempted coup and is now massaging the party's relations with Russia.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan leaves after a news conference following the National Security Council and cabinet meetings at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, July 20, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTSIXEM

Turkey's domestic policy losing its foreign friends

Turkey’s foreign relations continue to deteriorate, especially with Europe.

Kurdish fighters from the People's Protection Units (YPG) carry their weapons as they take positions in the northeastern city of Hasaka, Syria, August 20, 2016. Picture taken August 20, 2016. REUTERS/Rodi Said TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX2MEE9

A look at battle for Raqqa from a Kurdish perspective

A YPG commander told Al-Monitor in an interview that Kurdish militias will help the Syrian Democratic Forces liberate Raqqa but won’t remain in the city after the Islamic State is expelled.

U.S. President Barack Obama (R) and Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan (L) deliver remarks after their bilateral meeting alongside the G20 Summit, in Hangzhou, China September 4, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RTX2O1AM

US promises Turkey role in Raqqa in surprise Ankara meeting

The United States has reached out to Turkey, which is fuming over US support for Kurdish-led forces in Syria, by sending its chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to meet with his Turkish counterpart in Ankara and discuss Raqqa.

Turkish soap operas turn Istanbul into Paris of the East

Popular Turkish TV series are filling state coffers by attracting tourists from as far away as South America.

Demonstrators shout slogans during a protest against a purge of thousands of education staff since an attempted coup in July, in front of the main campus of Istanbul University at Beyazit square in Istanbul, Turkey, November 3, 2016. REUTERS/Osman Orsal - RTX2RP4T

Turkish universities latest domino in Erdogan's path

Under the state of emergency, the president of Turkey now has the power to appoint the heads of all state-run as well as private universities.

Post-coup shake-up at Turkey's intelligence agency

Director of Turkish Intelligence Hakan Fidan with radical changes signals his continuing importance and solid reputation.

Riot police stand guard in front of a courthouse during a gathering to protest against the arrest of pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) lawmakers, in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir, Turkey, November 4, 2016. REUTERS/Sertac Kayar - RTX2RWR1

Is Turkey on the fast track to fascism?

The July 15 coup in Turkey failed, but for many citizens, the country's upheaval carries all the signs of a regime change nonetheless.