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Turkey

Turkey

May 11, 2026

Ankara 1:02 pm

21°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

A copy of Tutuklu Gazete, published as a free supplement in leftist Turkish newspapers on Sunday July 24, 2011, is seen in this photo illustration taken in Istanbul July 25, 2011. The dozens of Turkish journalists writing for the Tutuklu Gazete newspaper have very personal reasons to be concerned about media freedom in their EU-candidate country. They are all in jail. From prison cells across Turkey, they have contributed articles to a paper protesting against restrictions on freedom of expression which hav

Turkey’s media manipulation: from denial to 'so what?'

All Turkish actors, from the government to the media to religious groups, need to recognize their limits to avoid the trend toward an illiberal society.

TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY JEAN-FRANCOIS LE MOUNIER - (FILES) - A Cruise liner enters the Grand Harbour in Valletta, the capital city of Malta, 05 October 2002. Malta enters the EU's border-free Schengen zone, 21 December 2007, a change many hope will boost tourism to the tiny Mediterranean state. Joining the Schengen zone along with eight other countries, Malta will become the first independent island state of Europe without border controls of the 22 Schengen zone countries. AFP PHOTO / BEN BORG CARDONA (Phot

Malta, Israel's new gateway to Europe

Malta, one of Israeli tourists' prime destinations, stands out for its exceptional Maltese-European citizenship sale for rich immigrants and for having the highest number of asylum seekers per capita in Europe.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan addresses the media in Ankara December 25, 2013. Erdogan said he replaced ten cabinet ministers, half of his total roster, after three ministers resigned over a high-level graft inquiry on Wednesday. The replaced ministers included EU Minister Egemen Bagis, who was allegedly named in the corruption probe but had not resigned yet, and key positions such as the Economy and justice ministers. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CRIME LAW) - RTX16TYO

Opposition claims Erdogan may be media owner

Leaked investigation documents suggest Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan may have an ownership interest in media companies.

Masked Sunni Muslim gunmen patrol in the city of Falluja, 70 km (44 miles) west of Baghdad, February 8, 2014. ISIL militants and other Sunni groups angered by the Shi'ite-led government overran Falluja and parts of the nearby city of Ramadi in the western province of Anbar on Jan. 1. REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS CONFLICT) - RTX18FGA

ISIS, al-Qaeda compete for supremacy in global jihad

The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) has emerged as a major challenger to al-Qaeda as the leading brand in the global militant jihad movement.

Israeli gas platforms are seen in the Mediterranean sea, some 15 miles (24 km) west of the port city of Ashdod, February 25, 2013. Israel's huge new offshore gas resource offers its enemies an obvious target and gives its navy, long overshadowed by other branches of the Israeli armed forces, a big job that will require extra spending. Picture taken February 25, 2013. REUTERS/Amir Cohen (ISRAEL - Tags: MILITARY ENERGY BUSINESS POLITICS MARITIME) - RTXY5G1

Energy reserves add new twist to Cyprus talks

The negotiations over the future of Cyprus are linked to energy reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Security guard the main gate of the closed Islamic Art Museum, which was damaged by a car bomb attack targeting the nearby Cairo Security Directorate on Friday, in downtown Cairo January 26, 2014. Egypt will hold a presidential vote before electing parliament, President Adly Mansour said on Sunday, reneging on a roadmap and increasing the likelihood that army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will be elected as head of state within months. Parliamentary elections were supposed to happen first under the tim

Egypt’s museums looted during riots

The wave of unrest and chaos in Egypt has given an opportunity for thieves to loot many of the country’s museums.

Friends and family members of victims killed in a car bomb attack on Saturday, hold a wreath along with their pictures during a funeral in the Shi'ite town of Hermel February 3, 2014. A suicide car bomber killed three people at a petrol station in a stronghold of the Shi'ite militant Hezbollah movement on Lebanon's northern border on Saturday, the latest sign that Syria's civil war is spilling over into its small neighbour. Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is pictured on the left in the banner in fr

Have bombings united the Lebanese Shiites behind Hezbollah?

Although many suspect the recent bombings in Lebanon are aimed at breaking Shiite support for Hezbollah, they may be having the opposite effect.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives at Rabat airport at the start of a tour of the Maghreb region, June 3, 2013. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal (MOROCCO - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX10AEE

Erdogan’s heavy hand in Turkish media

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s personal call to a TV station to immediately stop a news scroll reveals the extent of the restrictions on press freedom in Turkey.

Turkish pragmatism at Sochi Olympics

Turkey puts aside Caucasus issue in relations with Russia in participating in the Sochi Winter Olympics.

Supporters of Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan react as he addresses the audience during a meeting at the Turkish parliament in Ankara January 28, 2014. Erdogan, keen to maintain economic growth ahead of an election cycle starting in two months, has been a vociferous opponent of the higher borrowing costs sometimes needed to bolster currencies, railing against what he describes as an 'interest rate lobby' of speculators seeking to stifle growth and undermine the economy. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY -

Gulenists likely losers in Turkish power struggle

Standing strong against corruption accusations, the AKP appears poised to rule Turkey for another decade as the Gulenists are likely to lose their political clout soon and the opposition remains weak.

The beginnings of an Israel-Iran reset?

Israel may be reassessing the Iranian threat, as Iran shows its reach in Palestinian politics.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul addresses the 68th United Nations General Assembly in New York, September 24, 2013. REUTERS/Andrew Burton/Pool (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX13XT5

Pressure grows for Gul to be more assertive

There are some who see Abdullah Gul as a better bet than Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the presidency and the future of the Justice and Development Party.