Syria

Turkey

Military & Security

The Turkey-backed rebel Syrian National Army warned that new Russian, Iranian and Syrian forces have gathered near locations in Syria that Turkey has threatened to invade, Reuters reported June 7.

Turkey, Syria: Syrian Rebels Warn That Forces Are Deploying to Block Turkish Offensive

The Syrian Civil War

Security

Turkey's Resurgence

Israel

Economics

Politics

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu met with Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid in Jerusalem, Israel, to ask for increased cooperation, and the ministers agreed to relaunch the Joint Economic Commission and work on a new civil aviation agreement, AP reported May 25.

Israel, Turkey: Prime Ministers Discuss Economic Cooperation

Israel's Survival Strategy

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey is preparing for a new offensive against the Kurdish militia People's Protection Units (YPG) in northern Syria to expand a 30-kilometer buffer zone, Al Jazeera reported May 24.

Turkey, Syria: Erdogan Threatens Fresh Offensive Along Border

Finland

Sweden

Sweden and Finland formally submitted their applications to join NATO, The Guardian reported May 18.

Sweden, Finland: Countries Submit NATO Applications, Accession Vote Postponed

Saudi Arabia

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is visiting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to discuss economic relations and regional developments, Al Jazeera reported April 28.

Turkey, Saudi Arabia: Turkish President Visits Saudi Crown Prince in Jeddah

The Saudi Survival Strategy

Russia

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkey has closed its airspace to Russian military aircraft and civilian flights carrying troops to Syria, Hurriyet Daily News reported April 24.

Turkey, Russia: Ankara Closes Airspace to Moscow's Military Flights

Iraq

Turkey launched a new military offensive against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the Kurdistan Communities Union in the Metina, Zap and Avasin-Basyan areas of northern Iraq, Hurriyet Daily News reported March 18.

Turkey, Iraq: Turkish Military Launches New Offensive in Northern Iraq

The Turkish government arrested 46 people, including members of the Kurdish opposition People's Democratic Party (HDP), over their alleged links to the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Turkey: Opposition HDP Officials Caught up in Crackdown

At the height of its power, the Ottoman Empire stretched from Central Europe to the Arabian Peninsula. Turkey, the country that sprang from the Ottomans’ demise, is not an empire, but it is a country on the rise. Strategically located between East and West, the country is using its economic clout, its military might and its cultural weight to expand its influence throughout the Middle East. Larger powers such as the United States, Europe and Russia will therefore have to alternately work with and against Turkey as they pursue their interests in the region.

Turkey, the country that sprang from the Ottomans’ demise, is not an empire, but it is a country on the rise.

United States

Iran

The Fight Against the Islamic State

The Kurdish Struggle

Iran's Arc of Influence

Divided EU Foreign Policies

The Battle for Mosul

The U.S. and the Balance of Power

Crossing Borders

Rebalancing Power in the Middle East

The Pulse of Political Islam

The Jihadist Wars

Echoes of the Cold War

Media

Graphics

Turkey-backed Syrian fighters conduct military exercises in Syria's northern city of Manbij on June 2.

Turkey's president is threatening to expand his country's buffer zone in Syria, primarily to resettle up to 1 million Syrian refugees, block Kurdish militants from entering Turkey and entrench Turkish influence in Syria.

Turkey May Expand Buffer Zone in Syria

Assessments

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan makes a statement on Feb. 28, 2022, in Ankara after holding a cabinet meeting focused on the Russia-Ukraine crisis.

To avoid Russian retaliation and showcase its independence from NATO, Ankara will resist calls to sanction Moscow over the Ukraine invasion. 


Pressure To Punish Russia Puts Turkey in a Tough Spot

Snapshots

United Arab Emirates

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets with Dubai’s emir during a visit to the United Arab Emirates on Feb. 15, 2022. 

Courting the UAE and Saudi Arabia may yield occasional deals. But without domestic policy changes, Turkey’s financial instability will persist. 

In Search of Economic Relief, Turkey Reaches Out to Regional Rivals 

A customer leaves a currency exchange agency in Istanbul, Turkey, on Dec. 2, 2021.

Ankara’s policies are stimulating a recurring cycle of interest rate cuts, inflation and currency depreciation -- resulting in deepening economic instability.

Turkey’s Risky Inflation Strategy Is Backfiring

A Turkish lira banknote is seen on top of U.S. dollar banknotes in Istanbul, Turkey, on Dec. 7, 2021. 

The central bank’s new requirement that exporters convert some of their income to liras will not stop inflation, and may actually worsen it. 

Turkey Takes a First Step Toward Capital Controls

Columns

On Geopolitics

 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends a press conference at the end of the Group of 20 (G-20) summit in Rome, Italy, on Oct. 31, 2021. 

The Turkish president’s self-destructive behavior makes more sense when he’s viewed as an out-of-touch politician using a playbook for a world that no longer exists. 

By Staying Set in His Ways, Turkey’s Erdogan Risks Seeing Himself Out

People wait outside a currency exchange agency in Istanbul, Turkey, on Oct. 25, 2021. 

The president's short-sided, growth-focused strategy of cutting interest rates amid high inflation risks plunging his country into a full-blown financial crisis.

In Search of a Quick Win, Erdogan Gambles Turkey’s Economic Future

People line up at a currency exchange in Istanbul on Oct.14, 2021, after the firing of central bank officials caused the Turkish lira to drop to a new low against the U.S. dollar. 

 Amid rising inflation and a weakening lira, Erdogan’s push to reduce the CBRT’s main policy rate risks making both problems worse.


With Another Likely Rate Cut, Turkey’s Central Bank Tempts Fate 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives at the U.N. headquarters in New York City on Sept. 21, 2021.

To survive the next election, Erdogan’s nationalist party is mulling controversial measures that could trigger more U.S. and EU sanctions. 

In Turkey, a Desperate AKP Risks Doubling Down on Polarizing Policies

A vehicle destroyed in a bombing is seen in Syria's rebel-held northern city of Afrin on Oct. 11, 2021. 

Retaliating against YPG militants in northern Syria would put Ankara back on a confrontational path with Russia and Damascus. 

In Syria, a Kurdish Attack Risks Triggering a New Turkish Offensive 

Afghanistan

A picture taken on Aug. 16, 2021, shows the landscape of Iran behind a section of the newly completed wall on Turkey’s eastern border in Caldiran. 

Ankara will be forced to choose between exacerbating anti-refugee unrest at home or creating humanitarian crises elsewhere -- either of which would threaten its hold on power.

In Turkey, Afghan Migrants Will Create a Political Catch-22

Amid the turmoil in Afghanistan, Turkish politicians are sounding the alarm over another migrant surge, while others are taking steps to discriminate against those already in the country. 

Turkey's Resurgence

SITUATION REPORTS

Turkey, Syria: Syrian Rebels Warn That Forces Are Deploying to Block Turkish Offensive

Israel, Turkey: Prime Ministers Discuss Economic Cooperation

Turkey, Syria: Erdogan Threatens Fresh Offensive Along Border

Sweden, Finland: Countries Submit NATO Applications, Accession Vote Postponed

Turkey, Saudi Arabia: Turkish President Visits Saudi Crown Prince in Jeddah

Turkey, Russia: Ankara Closes Airspace to Moscow's Military Flights

Turkey, Iraq: Turkish Military Launches New Offensive in Northern Iraq

Turkey: Opposition HDP Officials Caught up in Crackdown

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