Analysis

In-Depth Analysis

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

ERDOĞAN EXPECTED TO ANNOUNCE NEW AKP MEMBERS
Inside Turkey Aug 13, 2026

ERDOĞAN EXPECTED TO ANNOUNCE NEW AKP MEMBERS

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is expected to welcome new members into the AKP at the party's 25th anniversary event in Ankara on Aug. 14, with two sitting deputies from the İYİ Party set to join.

Editorial Staff 1 min
A NEW SUNNI AXIS?
Guest Voices Aug 13, 2026

A NEW SUNNI AXIS?

On Friday — a day of particular symbolic weight for the Islamic world — President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif put their signatures to a trilateral defense agreement in Mecca, Islam’s holiest city.

Guest Voices 4 min
LIVE SIGNING GLITCH DISRUPTS ERDOĞAN’S IRAQI SUMMIT
Foreign Affairs Jul 30, 2026

LIVE SIGNING GLITCH DISRUPTS ERDOĞAN’S IRAQI SUMMIT

A live signing ceremony crowning Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi's visit to Ankara was disrupted when a Development Road agreement went unsigned, prompting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to intervene on camera and Al Zaidi to confront his own transport minister.

Editorial Staff 2 min
TURKISH CYPRIOT LEADERS CAUTIOUS ON NEW PEACE EFFORTS
Deciphering Turkish Diplomacy Jul 17, 2026

TURKISH CYPRIOT LEADERS CAUTIOUS ON NEW PEACE EFFORTS

“Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will have several bilateral meetings in the margins of the NATO summit; yet all of them will be very short. His longest meeting will be with Antonio Costa and Ursula Von Der Leyen,” a Turkish diplomat told a European expert at a side event that took place in Ankara.

Barçın Yinanç 6 min
COMPLIMENTS THAT CHILL ANKARA: TRUMP ON BRUNSON AND IRAN
Foreign Affairs Jul 9, 2026

COMPLIMENTS THAT CHILL ANKARA: TRUMP ON BRUNSON AND IRAN

Paying an official visit to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ahead of the NATO Summit and signaling movement on the F-35 and the Kaan's F110 engines, US President Donald Trump also touched on two subjects that sent a chill through Ankara: the release of American Pastor Andrew Brunson, and Turkey's stance in the US-Israeli war against Iran. Meant as praise, both stories cut deeper than they flattered.

Editorial Staff 4 min
COURT ENDS FIRST İMAMOĞLU TRIAL SESSION WITHOUT HIS DEFENSE
Inside Turkey Jul 9, 2026

COURT ENDS FIRST İMAMOĞLU TRIAL SESSION WITHOUT HIS DEFENSE

The four-month-long first session of the Istanbul Municipality trial ended on July 8 without the testimony of its main defendant: Ekrem İmamoğlu, the jailed Istanbul mayor and ousted CHP administration's presidential candidate, who is accused of being the leader of an alleged criminal organization.

Editorial Staff 8 min
ANKARA AWAITS POST-NATO POLITICAL STORM
Deep Dive Jul 9, 2026

ANKARA AWAITS POST-NATO POLITICAL STORM

Turkey's political agenda is expected to pivot sharply from diplomacy to domestic maneuvering as post-NATO scenarios dominate the discussion from July 9 onward. The conclusion of the NATO Ankara Summit, widely seen as an international success for Turkey and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan personally, has triggered intense political speculation amid increasing pressure on dissidents.

Editorial Staff 16 min