Analysis

In-Depth Analysis

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

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
NOT A QUORUM CRISIS, BUT A SYSTEMIC ONE
Capital Currents Apr 17, 2026

NOT A QUORUM CRISIS, BUT A SYSTEMIC ONE

“The opposition called for a quorum check, and when the required majority was not met, parliament was adjourned.” In recent months, this recurring news in parliament is not merely a simple quorum crisis. Behind it lie both structural problems inherent in the presidential system and the power struggle between the government and the opposition, spilling into parliamentary proceedings.

Nergis Demirkaya
NEPOTISM, OR HOW TO DISMANTLE A FOREIGN MINISTRY
The Third Desk Apr 17, 2026

NEPOTISM, OR HOW TO DISMANTLE A FOREIGN MINISTRY

Each time political appointments in diplomacy are criticised in Turkey, the same defence appears with the reliability of a reflex: “Other countries do it too”. Perhaps they do. But mediocrity does not become wisdom once imported.

Editorial Team