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

Turkey

Turkey

May 11, 2026

Ankara 9:09 pm

17°C

Turkish Red Crescent's cars and trucks cross the Turkish border as they leave the Syrian city of Tel Abyad on Oct. 19, 2019, in Akcakale, Turkey.

Turkey's border reopening unlocks new sphere of influence in Syria

Turkey reopened the Akcakale-Tell Abyad crossing on Monday, ending an 11-year closure along the Syria border.

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.

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

Erdogan’s dream turns into a nightmare

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan blames an "international plot" for the corruption scandal that so far has seen three key AKP ministers resign.

U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Francis Ricciardone (L, with white hair) speaks to media outside of the U.S. Embassy in Ankara February 1, 2013. A suicide bomber from a far-left group killed a Turkish security guard at the U.S. embassy in Ankara on Friday, blowing the door off a side entrance and sending smoke and debris flying into the street. The attacker blew himself up inside U.S. property, Ankara Governor Alaaddin Yuksel said. The blast sent masonry spewing out of the wall and could be heard a mile away. REU

US-Turkey crisis averted over corruption probe

The United States may be rankled, however, by the Turkish prime minister implying that Washington was part of international conspiracy behind the corruption scandal.

A plainclothes police officer reacts as riot police stand guard in front of the courthouse in Istanbul December 20, 2013. Turkish police arrested eight people in connection with allegations of official corruption and bribery, a newspaper said on Friday, in an investigation Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has called a "dirty operation" aimed at undermining his rule. REUTERS/Osman Orsal (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CRIME LAW) - RTX16PID

Turkey bans media from Security Directorate buildings

The Interior Ministry decided to ban journalists from entering police premises across the nation at the height of the corruption and bribery scandal.

Christmas in Turkey

Snapshots of changing Christmas and New Year's celebrations in Turkey portray a picture of cultural divisions.

A demonstrator holds a shoe box, as a reference to what the media said are shoe boxes of cash found in the house of Halkbank CEO Suleyman Aslan, during a demonstration against Turkey's ruling Ak Party (AKP) and Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara December 21, 2013. Sixteen people, including the sons of two ministers, were charged on Saturday in connection with a Turkish corruption investigation that has struck at the heart of the ruling elite and threatened the authority of Erdogan. The general manager

Erdogan goes on offense against corruption charges

The government of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan claims a foreign plot is behind the corruption charges.

Turkey flirts with Asian arms suppliers

Turkey looks east for alternatives to NATO arms markets.

Turkish academia and the Armenian genocide

Turkish newspapers have exposed attempts by official institutions to control academic research on the Armenian genocide.

Arab League-United Nations envoy Lakhdar Brahimi gestures while answering journalists' questions at the end of a news conference after a meeting on Syria at the United Nations European headquarters in Geneva December 20, 2013. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse (SWITZERLAND - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX16PPL

Iran, Saudi Arabia key to Syria peace conference

The Islamic Front snubs US Ambassador Robert Ford; Turkey rocked by scandal; reactions to the American Studies Association vote to boycott academic exchanges with Israel.

(L-R) Ministers of Turkey's ruling Ak Party (AKP) Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan, Energy Minister Taner Yildiz, Agriculture Minister Mehdi Eker and Interior Minister Muammer Guler attend a ceremony in Ankara December 18, 2013.Scores of people including the sons of Interior Minister Guler, Economy Minister Caglayan and Environment and City Planning Minister Erdogan Bayraktar, prominent businessmen close to Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, and local government officials were detained on Tuesday in the biggest

Pro-AKP media accuses Israel of role in Turkish corruption scandal

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to break the "dirty alliance" at the core of the crackdown.

A labourer works on the gold bars which are going to be melted in a smelter at a plant of gold refiner in Istanbul February 27, 2009. Gold extended gains to session highs in Europe on Friday as risk aversion spurred by worse-than- expected U.S. GDP data lifted the metal from the two-week lows it hit earlier in the day. REUTERS/Osman Orsal (TURKEY)

Iranian gold stars in Turkish corruption scandal

The CEO of Halkbank, which has been under scrutiny for bypassing US-EU sanctions on Iran, is at the center of bribery and corruption upheaval rattling Turkey.

Baris Guler (C in sunglasses), son of Turkey's Interior Minister Muammer Guler, is escorted by plainclothes police officers as he leaves a medical check-up in Istanbul December 16, 2013. Turkish police detained the sons of three cabinet ministers and several well-known businessmen as part of investigations into alleged corruption on Tuesday, state officials said, in a blow to Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan months ahead of elections. Police carried out dawn raids in the main commercial city Istanbul, detainin

Pro-AKP media flop as corruption charges swell

The pro-AKP media fail to carry a credible message to combat corruption charges.

Istanbul police chief Huseyin Capkin (Front) leaves the police headquarters in Istanbul December 18, 2013. Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said on Wednesday a corruption investigation in which 52 people including the sons of three cabinet ministers have been detained was part of a "planned operation" to tarnish the government. In the first official comments on the investigation from a senior member of the government, Arinc also said politics would not be allowed to stand in the way of the inquiry

Crackdown shatters AKP 'anti-corruption' taboo

Anti-corruption operations targeting four ministers of Erdogan's AKP government have inflicted irreparable damage on the government's reputation and legitimacy.