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

Turkey

Turkey

July 28, 2026

Ankara 8:22 pm

26°C

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi speaks during a meeting with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (not pictured) at the Pentagon on July 14, 2026 in Arlington, Virginia.

Zaidi to meet Erdogan as Turkey-Iraq ties take off, Kurds feel sidelined

The Iraqi prime minister's visits to Ankara and Riyadh underscore Baghdad's push to deepen regional ties as Turkey seeks closer cooperation on energy and security.

Vendors sell dry food as people shop by a banner reading " No to Inflation" near the New Mosque area in Istanbul's Eminonu district on Nov. 6, 2018.

Analysis

Iran war puts Turkey’s inflation fight, lira under fresh pressure

A prolonged Iran war is leaving Turkey's economy management caught between maintaining painful monetary tightening and cutting rates before the economy is ready.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Latest News

Analysis

What challenges await Erdogan’s new rival and Turkey’s new opposition party?

Ozgur Ozel

Halil Karaveli

By Halil Karaveli

Top ally of Turkey’s Erdogan backs state funding for Ozel’s breakaway party

Turkey’s main opposition Republican People's Party's (CHP) Ousted party leader Ozgur Ozel waves to supporters from atop a police water cannon vehicle after being forcibly evicted by police from his party’s headquarters on May 24, 2026 in Ankara, 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

People take part in a solidarity protest over events happening in Gaza and the West Bank on January 01, 2024 in Istanbul, Turkey. As the world celebrated New Years, Israel warned that the ongoing offensive in Gaza could last months and continue through 2024.

Turkey detains 33 people accused of spying for Israel’s Mossad

Authorities are still searching for an additional 13 people suspected of links to the Israeli spy agency as tensions between Turkey and Israel have been rising amid the Israel-Hamas war.

Analysis

Can Turkey's Erdogan godfather Palestinian Hamas-Fatah reconciliation?

Uniting the Palestinians is a complicated task that will prove a challenge to the Turkish president's influence.

Fehim Tastekin

By Fehim Tastekin

In Paris, reporting on Turkish politics

What canceling of 'Crimson Buds' TV series says about Turkey's religious split

Turkey’s television series and films, once heralded as Turkey’s top exports and a symbol of its soft power abroad, have become a political battlefield at home throughout 2023.

Turkey’s Super Cup in Saudi Arabia canceled over reported Ataturk row

The competing Turkish teams refused to take the pitch after Saudi authorities banned posters and banners of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of secularist modern Turkey.

Interview

Syrian Kurdish commander tells Washington not to sell F-16s to Turkey

In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, SDF commander-in-chief Mazlum Kobane called on the United States to shore up flagging Kurdish faith in Washington and block any new F-16 sales to Turkey.

Mazlum Kobane

Mazlum Kobane

SDF commander in chief

Turkey says it foiled ISIS attack on Istanbul synagogues, churches

Turkey's interior minister said that 29 people have been detained over suspected links to the Islamic State, thwarting attacks on Jewish and Christian places of worship in Istanbul.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan (L) arrives under the rain to the Turkish Parliament to take oath of office after his election win at the parliament in Ankara, Turkey, on June 3, 2023. Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan was sworn in for a third term as president on June 3, promising to serve "impartially" after winning a historic runoff election to extend his two-decade rule. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

2023 in review: From disaster to diplomacy, a climactic year for Turkey

Ankara and NATO capitals are once again at loggerheads despite Turkey’s restoration vision put forward after the May elections.

Turkey says US should 'fulfill' F-16s commitments ahead of Sweden's NATO vote

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called on his American counterpart Antony Blinken to act in the spirit of alliance over the pending Turkish bid to buy new F-16 fighter jets from the United States.

University students protesting.

2023 in review: Israel-Hamas war puts human rights in focus as pattern of double standards persists

A growing number of countries — many of them repressive in their own right — demand to know why Israel’s abuses are permissible.

Smokes billows in Qamishli in northeastern Syria close to the Turkish border on Dec. 25, 2023.

Turkey speeds up attacks on Kurdish groups in Syria, Iraq

The latest escalation occurred after the killing of 12 Turkish soldiers in northern Iraq over the past week.

Turkey's Erdogan compares Netanyahu to Hitler, drawing Israel's rebuke

The Turkish president’s inflammatory comments drawing a parallel between Hitler to Netanyahu once again have ramped up tensions between Turkey and Israel.

Turkey's parliamentary committee approves Sweden’s NATO bid, paving way for full vote

After passing an initial hurdle, the Nordic nation’s accession to NATO will now be debated and voted on by the full Turkish Parliament.