Analysis

In-Depth Analysis

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

THE MECCA TRAP: WHY TURKEY'S NEW PACT BETRAYS ITS OWN INTERESTS
Guest Voices Sep 10, 2026

THE MECCA TRAP: WHY TURKEY'S NEW PACT BETRAYS ITS OWN INTERESTS

The Mecca Joint defense Agreement signed by Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan at the beginning of last month came as a surprise to many, although Turkey was interested in joining the defense agreement signed by the latter two a year ago. The new agreement goes further than defense cooperation due to a collective security pledge modelled on NATO’s famous Article 5.

Guest Voices 4 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
PEACE PROCESS AWAITS THE LAW, THE LAW AWAITS ANSWERS
Inside Turkey Jul 3, 2026

PEACE PROCESS AWAITS THE LAW, THE LAW AWAITS ANSWERS

The peace process, dubbed the Terror-Free Turkey, now awaits the 'framework law,' expected to be submitted before parliament goes into its summer recess. There appears to be no consensus, however, on the bill's exact timing, scope and the conditions on the ground. While the process remains in the waiting room, the Interior Ministry took a concrete step, lifting thousands of search points and checkpoints in the terror-affected region. The pro-Kurdish DEM Party, through all its spokespeople, is asking 'what the law is waiting for.' But reading between the lines of AKP and DEM Party statements reveals disagreements at the draft stage.

Editorial Staff 4 min
SYRIA BECOMES GORDIAN KNOT ON TURKEY’S PEACE PROCESS
Deep Dive May 29, 2026

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.

Editorial Team
MERZ: A CHANCELLOR IN SEARCH OF STABILITY
Guest Voices May 29, 2026

MERZ: A CHANCELLOR IN SEARCH OF STABILITY

Friedrich Merz’s visit to Ankara marks a new phase in German-Turkish relations — the trip served domestic power dynamics in Berlin in political terms rather than through concrete agreements. The chancellor did not come because Turkey has fundamentally changed, but because Germany finds itself in deep economic and political uncertainty. By Ozan Demircan

Editorial Team