Analysis

In-Depth Analysis

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

All Inside Turkey Foreign Affairs Economy and Finance Security and Defense Deep Dive Media & Culture Media, Internet and Culture Deciphering Turkish Diplomacy Portrait of the Week Word of the Week Guest Voices Capital Currents Erospolis The Third Desk Poetic Licence
TURKEY EASES ARMENIA TRADE EMBARGO AS PASHINYAN SEEKS MANDATE FOR REGIONAL PEACE PUSH
Foreign Affairs May 29, 2026

TURKEY EASES ARMENIA TRADE EMBARGO AS PASHINYAN SEEKS MANDATE FOR REGIONAL PEACE PUSH

One of the most concrete steps yet in the normalization process between Turkey and Armenia—launched in 2021—has been taken with a move toward direct trade between the two countries. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is heading into a June 7 election widely seen as a vote of confidence on his parallel agendas of steering the country toward the West while pursuing peace with Azerbaijan and normalization with Turkey. Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Öncü Keçeli announced on X on May 13 that bureaucratic preparations for the launch of direct trade between Turkey and Armenia had been completed as of May 11.

Editorial Team
15 RELEASED IN ISTANBUL CORRUPTION CASE AS ERDOĞAN AND ÖZEL TRADE BLOWS
Deep Dive May 29, 2026

15 RELEASED IN ISTANBUL CORRUPTION CASE AS ERDOĞAN AND ÖZEL TRADE BLOWS

Fifteen more pre-trial defendants were released in the corruption case targeting the Istanbul Municipality, including Adem Soytekin, a businessperson who applied for leniency under Turkey's remorse law, as the war of words between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and main opposition CHP Chair Özgür Özel showed no signs of abating over the case.

Editorial Team
WAGE HIKES FAIL TO CURB DISCONTENT AT GROWING ECONOMIC STRAIN
Economy and Finance May 29, 2026

WAGE HIKES FAIL TO CURB DISCONTENT AT GROWING ECONOMIC STRAIN

With inflation at 30.89% annually and 0.89% month‑on‑month in December, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), the latest pension adjustments have ignited discontent among retirees. Most retired workers and tradespeople will receive only a 12.19% increase, while public servant retirees are slated for an 18.60% rise.

Editorial Team
HIGH-STAKES DIPLOMACY: ERDOĞAN’S WHITE HOUSE VISIT AND ITS STRATEGIC COSTS
Deciphering Turkish Diplomacy May 29, 2026

HIGH-STAKES DIPLOMACY: ERDOĞAN’S WHITE HOUSE VISIT AND ITS STRATEGIC COSTS

There is a way of establishing a working relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump. First you have to make sure you see him as a smart, respectable world leader. That’s the easy part. Then you have to lure him with trade deals, making sure he is the winning side. Therefore, it comes as no surprise when Turkey unilaterally dropped its retaliatory tariffs on U.S. products on Sept. 22, a few days before the scheduled meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House. Buzzwords are important for Trump, and tariff is one of them. The tariffs, which covered products including passenger cars, fruit, rice, tobacco, alcoholic beverages, solid fuels, and chemical products, were introduced in 2018 in response to U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imports enacted during Trump's first term in office.

Editorial Team
TURKEY-CHINA RELATIONS: INEVITABLE TANGO
Guest Voices May 29, 2026

TURKEY-CHINA RELATIONS: INEVITABLE TANGO

Although NATO remains the cornerstone of Turkey’s security architecture and the European Union still accounts for roughly half of its foreign trade, Ankara’s relationship with Beijing has become increasingly complex, strategic, and — in many respects — inevitable.

Editorial Team
SİGARA / CIGARETTE
Word of the Week Apr 17, 2026

SİGARA / CIGARETTE

Sigara (and its unruly cousin, cigara) comes to Turkish via Italian — a linguistic clue that matches the prevailing historical account: tobacco reached the Ottoman Empire in the 17th century through Genoese trade routes, though some credit goes to the British. Origins aside, the word now points to a habit so entrenched it once traveled abroad as cliché: “smoke like a Turk.”

Nazlan Ertan
STM UNVEILS LONG-RANGE KAMIKAZE UAV
Security and Defense Apr 9, 2026

STM UNVEILS LONG-RANGE KAMIKAZE UAV

While Iran is extensively using kamikaze UAVs in its attacks in the conflict with Israeli and US forces, STM (Defense Technologies Engineering and Trade Inc.), announced that it had conducted the first test flight of its new long-range kamikaze UAV.

Editorial Team
RUSSIAN AND FRENCH EMBASSIES IN ANKARA SPAR ON SOCIAL MEDIA IN TURKISH
Foreign Affairs Feb 27, 2026

RUSSIAN AND FRENCH EMBASSIES IN ANKARA SPAR ON SOCIAL MEDIA IN TURKISH

In a rare diplomatic spat in the local language, the Russian and French diplomatic missions in Ankara traded barbs on social media over the ongoing war in Ukraine amid the war’s anniversary. The dispute, which drew attention from Turkish users, shifted from geopolitical accusations to historical insults and the use of emojis.

Editorial Team
‘MADE IN EUROPE’ PROPOSAL: BAD NEWS AND GOOD NEWS FOR TURKEY
Economy and Finance Jan 22, 2026

‘MADE IN EUROPE’ PROPOSAL: BAD NEWS AND GOOD NEWS FOR TURKEY

The EU’s draft “Made in Europe” proposal to support European producers of green technology excludes Turkey from “Europe” but allows the European Commission to determine which non-EU countries can be included in the scheme on a sectoral basis. The Turkish business community is alarmed at the new rules aimed at strengthening European manufacturing against rising competition from China and the U.S., Turkey in Depth learned. Fearing this would create a new hurdle in Turkey’s trade with the EU, business leaders have been lobbying in Brussels, urging officials to consider Turkey as part of Europe. Turkey in Depth has learned that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sent a letter to President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen regarding the decision.

Editorial Team
EU DEALS WITH MERCOSUR AND INDIA DEEPEN TRADE ASYMMETRY FOR TURKEY
Guest Voices Jan 22, 2026

EU DEALS WITH MERCOSUR AND INDIA DEEPEN TRADE ASYMMETRY FOR TURKEY

The European Union’s push to conclude free trade agreements (FTAs) is reshaping the economic landscape around its periphery. Chief among these is the long-negotiated EU–Mercosur Trade Agreement, alongside accelerating talks with India. While these agreements are formally bilateral between the EU and third parties, their implications extend well beyond signatories. For Turkey, which is bound to the EU through a customs union covering industrial goods, these deals carry direct consequences—despite Ankara not being a negotiating party.

Guest Voices