AS TIME GOES BY … IN DAVOS
The Casablanca line everyone remembers wrong is: “Play it again, Sam.” The film doesn’t actually include that. What Ilsa Lund says in the movie is quieter and more revealing: “Play it, Sam… Play ‘As Time Goes By.’”
Analysis
In-Depth Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
DRUG CRACKDOWN WIDENS WITH NEW MASS DETENTIONS
Turkey’s sweeping drug operations have expanded to include prominent figures from business and entertainment, triggering debate over whether the focus remains on organized crime kingpins or on well-known public personalities.
TUNCER BAKIRHAN: DEM CO-CHAIR RIDING THE EBB AND FLOW OF WAR AND PEACE
When war and peace are mentioned, the first person that comes to mind is the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy and his novel of the same title, a cornerstone of world literature. In this work, Tolstoy renders war and peace with striking realism. World history, after all, is also a history of wars — and, inevitably, a history of peace.
LIBYAN COMMANDERS’ PLANE CRASHED WHILE ENGINES WERE RUNNING
The engines of the plane carrying Libya’s top military officials, including Chief of General Staff General Muhammad Ali Al-Haddad, were still running when it crashed near Ankara on Dec. 23, 2025, killing all on board, according to findings of a preliminary investigation.
EUROFIGHTER PROCUREMENT NEARING CONCLUSION
Turkey is close to finalizing a major expansion of its fighter jet fleet with the acquisition of Eurofighter Typhoons, marking a significant step toward diversifying its air power away from U.S.-supplied platforms.
AKP BILLBOARD CAMPAIGN TARGETING ISTANBUL MUNICIPALITY SPARKS POLITICAL ROW
A new political dispute has erupted after AKP’s Istanbul branch began running ads on billboards criticizing the Istanbul Municipality, giving the impression that an election campaign is already underway.
WHEN ALLIANCES CRACK, TURKEY LOOKS ELSEWHERE
What happens if Donald Trump were to send Delta Force to “get” Greenland? Would it be the end of NATO, as Denmark’s prime minister suggested? While the validity of NATO’s Article 5 is questioned, allies feel they can no longer rely on U.S. nuclear protection. In times of great power competition mid-size regional powers tend to forge alliances to consolidate their security.
WATCHDOG FINES TURKEY’S TOP-RATED PRIME-TIME TV SERIES
Turkey’s broadcast watchdog has imposed heavy fines on three major television channels over their most-watched programs, citing viewer complaints and alleged violations of family values and public morality.
CHP REVIVES NORMALIZATION STRATEGY TO BREAK POLITICAL GRIDLOCK
Turkey’s main opposition party is recalibrating its political strategy, reviving a discourse of 'normalization' in a calculated bid to dismantle the country’s deep-seated polarization and lure voters from the governing alliance.
THE WORLD ORDER IS BEING DISMANTLED—NOT REFORMED: TURKEY MUST READ THE MOMENT CLEARLY
The post–Second World War international order is no longer being reformed. It is being deliberately and systematically dismantled. The assumption that today’s turbulence represents a temporary deviation from a rules-based system misses a more uncomfortable reality: the system itself is being hollowed out by its original architects.
ANKARA TO LEAD BLACK SEA SECURITY AS FRANCE AND BRITAIN BOOST SECURITY GUARANTEES AMID GREENLAND THREAT
France, Britain and Ukraine signed a joint “statement of intent” after a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing in Paris, where nearly 30 Western leaders gathered. According to the statement, Britain and France will deploy troops to Ukraine in case of a peace agreement with Russia. Turkey is envisaged to take the lead in maritime security elements in the Black Sea.
WATER CUT ROW BETWEEN ANKARA MAYOR AND ERDOĞAN
The government and the Ankara Municipality are trading accusations over responsibility for water cuts in the capital after one of the driest years on record.