Analysis

In-Depth Analysis

Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.

WHAT ANKARA DOES NOT PUT ON THE BROCHURE
The Third Desk May 21, 2026

WHAT ANKARA DOES NOT PUT ON THE BROCHURE

A city’s cultural field does not stop at its administrative boundary. If Ankara reveals itself in layers, some of its most telling ones begin once the city has thinned into road, valley and plateau.

Editorial Team
BAHÇELİ DRAWS THE MAP, ERDOĞAN HOLDS THE WHEEL
Deep Dive May 21, 2026

BAHÇELİ DRAWS THE MAP, ERDOĞAN HOLDS THE WHEEL

Ahead of the AKP’s inaction, MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli has outlined a detailed institutional framework to advance the peace process, urging all three branches of government to take concrete steps — while President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declared his government's determination to see it through without giving up caution.

Editorial Team
WHAT ANKARA DOES NOT PUT ON THE BROCHURE
The Third Desk May 15, 2026

WHAT ANKARA DOES NOT PUT ON THE BROCHURE

Ankara is often described by those who do not know it well as a grey city. This is unfair, though not entirely mysterious. A city that must constantly perform seriousness is rarely forgiven for having charm. Yet Ankara’s charm is real. It is private, reveals itself slowly, and almost always just outside the official frame. It is a city of dry light, hard hills, old stones, republican geometry, Ottoman shadows, Roman fragments, Seljuk craft and streets that remember more than they are prepared to explain. This is why Ankara deserves a cultural diplomacy route, a way of showing visitors not only what the city proudly displays, but also what it half-remembers, neglects, misnames, hides or leaves to survive behind other buildings.

Editorial Team
HALKI EMERGES AGAIN AS A TEST OF TURKEY’S RELIGIOUS POLITICS
Foreign Affairs May 15, 2026

HALKI EMERGES AGAIN AS A TEST OF TURKEY’S RELIGIOUS POLITICS

A historic sanatorium on Heybeliada — the island also known as Halki — is set to be transferred to the Directorate of Religious Affairs for the second time, after a previous transfer was annulled by a court. The move comes as the same island is at the center of another religious question: the possible reopening of the Greek Orthodox Halki Seminary.

Editorial Team
IMAMOĞLU SHUTTLES BETWEEN SILIVRI COURTROOMS
Inside Turkey May 15, 2026

IMAMOĞLU SHUTTLES BETWEEN SILIVRI COURTROOMS

Ekrem İmamoğlu, the detained Istanbul mayor and the CHP's presidential candidate, shuttled between two courtrooms at the Silivri complex — and both hearings produced developments that cut against the prosecution's narrative.

Editorial Team
THE PEACE NEXT DOOR
The Third Desk May 7, 2026

THE PEACE NEXT DOOR

This week, Yerevan is not a distant capital at the edge of Europe’s map. Armenia has hosted the European Political Community summit at a moment when its political direction, its European ties and the regional peace process are all under scrutiny at once.

Editorial Team