A SILENT STORM WITHIN THE MHP
Imagine an organized crime network, protected and fed by political connections that it steadily expands.
Analysis
In-Depth Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
CENTRAL BANK SPENDS $23.5B IN TWO WEEKS TO DEFEND LIRA
The central bank spent approximately $23.5 billion in foreign exchange interventions during the first two weeks of the Iran war to defend the Turkish lira.
MILITARY HELICOPTER CRASHED IN QATAR WITH QUESTIONS UNANSWERED
A Qatari Air Force helicopter crashed into the sea, killing a Turkish air defense major, two Aselsan technicians, and four Qatari crew members. Questions remain unanswered, including the type of helicopter, the exact time when it crashed and the site of the crash.
A SIGNATURE AND A DELAY IN THE EUROFIGHTER PROJECT
Following the signing of an agreement with the U.K. in Oct. 2025 to procure 40 Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets, the defense ministers of the two countries signed a contract for technical and logistical support regarding the maintenance and operation of these aircraft.
TARGET IN TURKEY BECOMES A MATTER OF DEBATE
NATO announced that its assets shot down two ballistic missiles aimed at Turkey in a week, but Iran denied that they had targeted Turkey. Since the Defense Ministry and NATO did not provide information on which region of Iran the ballistic missiles were launched from, the route taken by the missiles and their target became a matter of debate.
TWO CRITICAL MONTHS IN KURDISH PROCESS
Parliament will take up legislation in response to the PKK’s decision to dissolve and lay down its arms agenda after the Ramadan holiday. PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan has called for the adoption of “peace laws” as a condition for transition. While the DEM Party insists that the legal framework should be adopted before the end of March, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has pointed to April, saying he expects the PKK to take more concrete steps.
IRAN WAR ENGULFS THE REGION — TURKEY AMONG THE HARDEST HIT
The U.S. and Israel have started a war against Iran, although Trump does not want to call it as such. I saw no way out of the impasse between the two parties, although the Iranian side was optimistic after the third round of nuclear talks.
EMİN ALPER: GOOD NEWS FROM BERLIN FOR TURKEY
Last week, Berlin experienced what felt like a Turkish procession. At the Berlinale — the Berlin International Film Festival, the home of the Golden Bear — two films from Turkey won the major prizes. The Golden Bear went to İlker Çatak with “Yellow Letters,” while Emin Alper got the Jury Grand Prize for “Salvation.”
ATHENS–ANKARA DEADLOCK: NO BREAKTHROUGH, BUT DIALOGUE REMAINS
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met in Ankara on the 30th anniversary of the Kardak (Imia) crisis, serving as a reminder that the fundamental disagreements that nearly brought the two NATO allies to war 30 years ago remain unresolved.
IRAN’S DILEMMA AND ERDOĞAN’S OPTIONS
Forty Cleavers or Forty Mules for Iran? No information has leaked from the U.S.-Iran talks in Oman other than the statements from the two sides portraying them as positive. But it is no secret that Iran is faced with an impossible choice, like a thief in a Turkish fairy tale.
PRIVATIZATION DEBATE REIGNITES AS ANKARA REPORTEDLY TAPS GLOBAL ADVISORS FOR BRIDGES AND HIGHWAYS
A report regarding the privatization of the bridges on the Bosphorus and public highways has revived a debate in Turkey. The plan reportedly involves the sale of operating rights for the two Bosphorus bridges and at least nine major highways.
U.S.-IRAN TALKS SHIFT TO OMAN AMID TEHRAN’S RESERVATIONS OVER ISTANBUL
While Ankara has taken steps to reassure Tehran that it is a trustworthy interlocutor, those efforts appear to have fallen short. The United States and Iran have again agreed to meet in Muscat, the capital of Oman, rather than in Istanbul — highlighting Iran’s reluctance to accept Turkey as a venue for nuclear talks.