SAHA EXPO 2026 EXPOSES RIVALRY BETWEEN DEFENSE MINISTRY AND SECRETARIAT
A major arms fair in Istanbul exposed the tension between the Defense Ministry and the Presidency’s Secretariat of Defense Industries.
Analysis
In-Depth Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
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.
ANKARA REINFORCES SOMALIA TIES DAYS AFTER ISRAEL MOVE
Just three days after Tel Aviv announced its decision to recognize Somaliland, Ankara moved to reinforce its position, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan meeting Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Ankara on Dec. 30.
DETENTIONS IN MEDIA AND PUBLIC LIFE FUEL POST-ERDOĞAN SUCCESSION TALK
The recent shifts in the Turkish media landscape, driven by security operations and detentions, have begun to reshape discourse over who might replace President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in the future.
SECURITY TALKS BETWEEN ISRAEL, GREECE, AND CYPRUS STOKE EAST MED TENSIONS
The two consecutive meetings between the leaders of Cyprus’s Turkish and Greek communities, held after a five-year hiatus, generated cautious optimism about the prospects for renewed engagement. Yet this momentum is overshadowed by parallel efforts to consolidate trilateral cooperation among Israel, Greece, and Greek Cyprus.
MEŞRUİYET/LEGITIMACY
My wicked editor and I have been on the phone constantly the last three days to exchange ideas on just what the word of the year should be. We toyed with “secret witness,” “active repentance” (read ratting out), “strategic autonomy,” “voice of the streets,” “angst,” and “normalization.” Finally, I used a columnist’s initiative and settled for meşruiyet, or legitimacy, over normalleşme/normalization.
SYRIA BECOMES GORDIAN KNOT ON TURKEY’S PEACE PROCESS
Developments in Syria are emerging as a potential block to Turkey’s push for Kurdish peace. With the March 10 Agreement between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Damascus nearing its implementation deadline, Ankara is increasing pressure for compliance.
TOWARDS HYPER WAR CAPABILITY
The Turkish Armed Forces has been testing joint operations capabilities after a rapid increase in the number of national defense industry products in its inventory, primarily electronic warfare and air defense systems, warships, and unmanned aerial vehicles. Baykar's AI-powered mini cruise missile Kemankeş-1 continues to undergo firing tests from the strategic-class Bayraktar Akıncı UCAV. “The Kemankeş smart munitions integration and testing activities carried out with the Akıncı strategic UAV platform, capable of flying at an altitude of 40,000 feet, provide serious indications of Turkey's hyper warfare capacity development,” Dr. Can Kasapoğlu, senior researcher at the Hudson Institute, said.
HOW İMAMOĞLU SR’S COMMUNISM NIGHTMARE CAME TO PASS
Hasan İmamoğlu is the father of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, who has been jailed for nearly nine months. Ekrem İmamoğlu faces a staggering threat of up to 2,500 years in prison. Naturally, the İmamoğlu family had never, at any point in their lives, imagined facing such severe threats of imprisonment and punishment. For this reason, the family is, quite naturally, experiencing deep shock and bewilderment. As part of the case, Hasan İmamoğlu’s companies were also seized. So where does this “fear of communism,” this urge to “fight communism,” actually come from?
A HISTORIC FIRST: ÖCALAN’S MESSAGES IN PARLIAMENTARY RECORDS
Turkey’s Parliament witnessed a rare moment on Dec. 4 as a summary of notes from the recent meeting of three lawmakers with PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan was read aloud and recorded in the parliamentary minutes. In the summary, he was not referred to as “terrorist” despite the decades-long reputation shaped by the state, nor as a founding leader of the PKK, as MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli — the initiator of the recent process — had defined him.
ÖCALAN VISIT IGNITES COUP DEBATE
The parliamentary delegation’s visit to PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan on Nov. 24 — involving MPs from the AKP, MHP, and DEM — reignited tensions and revived coup speculation. The ruling parties' silence further fueled the controversy.
ŞİDDET/VIOLENCE
For me, this year, Nov. 26, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, arrived as a photograph. A staged one in which the woman’s face was hidden, but the hair defied all attempts at concealment. Sümeyye Akyol’s Domination, shown this week at young artists’ platform BASE at the Ritz-Carlton Residences, is built on fictional photographs using real women; mostly her friends and family.