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

Turkey

Turkey

May 11, 2026

Ankara 11:09 pm

13°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

Who threatens Rumi’s heritage?

The decision by the Konya Provincial Culture Directorate to remove a 1,000-year-old pool from the Mevlana Museum's garden is an assault on Rumi’s heritage.

A participant holds a rainbow flag during a gay pride parade in central Istanbul June 30, 2013. Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters teamed up with a planned gay pride march in Istanbul. Crowds were stopped by riot police from entering Taksim, the centre of previous protests, but the atmosphere appeared peaceful. REUTERS/Osman Orsal (TURKEY - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS SOCIETY) - RTX1176G

Turkey’s LGBT community draws hope from Harvey Milk

Turks who identify with the LGBT community face discrimination in every aspect of their lives and have no legal protection at all, but increasing awareness from the public and support mainly from the opposition parties brings hope.

Residents look for survivors at a damaged site after what activists said was an air strike from forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in Takeek Al-Bab area of Aleppo, December 15, 2013. REUTERS/Molhem Barakat (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTX16JRO

Rise of Islamic Front a disaster for Syria

The ascendance of the Islamic Front threatens a political transition in Syria; Lebanon paralyzed by Syria conflict; Farea al-Muslimi named FP Leading Global Thinker.

Free Syrian Army fighters walk with their weapons in the Umayyad mosque of Old Aleppo, December 15, 2013. REUTERS/Molhem Barakat (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT RELIGION) - RTX16JWX

US, Turkey to rethink Syria policies

For starters, the United States and Turkey need to change their approaches to the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party.

A woman stands beside the coffin of a Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) soldier who died fighting the al-Qaeda linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, and Islamist Syrian rebel group Jabhat al-Nusra in Qamishli November 14, 2013. Picture taken November 14, 2013. REUTERS/Massoud Mohammed (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT) - RTX15H58

Syria war brings al-Qaeda threat to Iraqi Kurdistan

The Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq seeks to prevent the spillover of the war inside its borders.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel (L) meets with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad in Doha December 10, 2013. Hagel briefed Qatari leaders on Tuesday about the effort to destroy Syria's chemical weapons, and he underscored U.S. support for Syria's moderate opposition. Picture taken December 10, 2013, REUTERS/Mark Wilson/Pool (QATAR - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX16DFR

Qatar resets its Syria policy

Doha tilts away from regime change in Syria and opens up a channel to Hezbollah.

A Macedonian couple (C) takes souvenir pictures as they visit the Byzantine monument of Hagia Sophia or Ayasofya, now a museum, in Istanbul May 25, 2011. The number of foreign visitors to Turkey rose 31.3 percent year-on-year in April to 2.29 million people, the Tourism Ministry said on Wednesday, after climbing 14.36 percent in March. Last year, the number of visitor arrivals rose 5.74 percent to 28.6 million. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY - Tags: TRAVEL SOCIETY) - RTR2MVLK

Latest chapter in battle over Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia

The ancient aspiration of Turkish Islamism to transform Hagia Sophia from a museum to a mosque is back on the agenda.

Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah (L), Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah (C) and Turkey's President Abdullah Gul (R) pose for the official photo before the opening ceremony of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) summit in Mecca August 14, 2012. REUTERS/Susan Baaghil (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: POLITICS ROYALS) - RTR36ULN

Turkey, Saudi ties less than meet the eye

Despite a shared interest in supporting opposition groups against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Riyadh and Ankara are unlikely to become allies.

Visitors to the China Aviation Museum located on the outskirts of Beijing walk under old missiles on display August 17, 2010. China is expanding its military edge over Taiwan, increasing the lethality of its short-range ballistic missiles while raising the risk of "misunderstanding and miscalculation," the Pentagon said on Monday, just a day after a leading armed forces newspaper said that China's military thinking is outmoded and they should learn from others, especially the United States, when it comes to

Turkey, China cooperation on ballistic missiles not new

Turkish defense industry insiders are dismayed with US pressure on Turkey for it reaching a deal with China, as this is not the first time they have cooperated.

A man holding groceries walks in Tripoli, northern Lebanon, December 3, 2013. The Lebanese government has told the army to take over security in the restive coastal city of Tripoli for six months, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Monday.Ten people were killed in weekend clashes between Tripoli's Alawite minority, which supports Syria's Alawite President Bashar al-Assad, and majority Sunni Muslims who back his foes. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir (LEBANON - Tags: CIVIL UNREST MILITARY POLITICS) - RTX162

Lebanon’s Tripoli microcosm for Syria conflict

While Lebanon has struggled to remain neutral and uninvolved in Syria’s conflict, Tripoli has come to mirror the volatile dynamics of its larger neighbor.

A mosque and the city waterfront are reflected in a new building in the Azeri capital Baku, September 8, 2012. Rising tension between Armenia and Azerbaijan could unleash a new war over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region that spreads beyond the countries borders and has global significance, the breakaway republic leader said. Picture taken September 8, 2012. To match AZERBAIJAN-ARMENIA/CONFLICT REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili (AZERBAIJAN - Tags: POLITICS CITYSPACE RELIGION TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR3

Turkey extends hand, but no apology, to Armenia

Turkey is making a fresh move to normalize ties with Armenia as the clock ticks down to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide in 2015.

A woman wearing a traditional head-scarf smokes a cigarette inside a damaged bus used by anti-government protesters as a barricade in Istanbul's Taksim square June 10, 2013. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis (TURKEY - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS) - RTX10IVP

Demand for women-only buses in Istanbul

Demands for women-only buses indicate a deeper debate about Islamization of Turkish public space.