How Turkish Arms End Up in African Conflicts
Ankara’s engagement on the continent has generated violence, not stability.
Marine Corps University
Turkey is Making a Power Play to Dominate the Middle East
With Iran’s regional influence in steep decline, Turkey is aggressively positioning itself to fill the vacuum and assert dominance across the eastern Mediterranean and the broader Middle East....
Op-eds
Turkey’s new precision weapons stoke regional tensions
In late July, Turkish defense contractors used the 2025 International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF) to showcase the latest additions to the country’s arsenal. Headlining the event were two striking...
Op-eds
Turkey still wants to join BRICS while pretending to be a NATO ally
Last year, Turkey took observers by surprise at the 2024 BRICS summit in Russia when it applied for full membership in an organization that seeks to challenge the Western-led liberal international order and is an adversarial alternative to NATO.
Op-eds
The PKK abandons armed struggle
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has waged a secessionist campaign against Turkey since 1978, announced on May 12 its decision to end its armed struggle. Under the leadership of Abdullah...
Op-eds
Why did Syria’s Kurds sign a deal with the new regime?
On March 10, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) signed an agreement with Syria’s interim government, integrating the SDF’s 100,000-strong, predominantly Kurdish force into the new Syrian...
Op-eds
Turkey Marginalized? How Trump’s Middle East Strategy is Rewriting Alliances
Nearly a month into Donald Trump’s second term as U.S. President, we are beginning to see the contours of his foreign policy in the Middle East. Having campaigned on a promise to prioritize American...
Op-eds
Turkey Is Preparing to Invade Syria, Then Israel?
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is making no effort to disguise his ambitions. In a bold declaration following the first meeting of Turkey’s cabinet, Erdogan made it clear that he intends to...
Op-eds
Turkey’s Overreach in Syria: Erdogan Is ‘Playing with Fire’
In a recent Foreign Policy article, Steven Cook and I highlighted how Turkey may be overplaying its hand in Syria. With events evolving rapidly, it seems that Turkish President Recep...
Op-eds
How Turkey Outplayed Egypt and the U.S. In The Horn Of Africa
Ankara’s recent geopolitical gains go beyond just Syria.
Op-eds
Erdogan Gets His ‘Leader of the Muslim World’ Moment
Syria's change of leadership has given Turkey’s president the regional influence he has always wanted.
Op-eds
America Must Stand with Syria’s Kurds
Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan is playing with and stoking fires in Syria. Following the major military offensive mounted by the Salafi-jihadist forces of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in...
Op-eds
Donald Trump Must Hold Turkey Accountable for Its Actions
Turkey’s authoritarian leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan was premature in his optimism at the re-election of Donald Trump. Erdogan is convinced that his existing relationship with Trump, will...
Op-eds
A Marriage of Convenience—the Limits of a Turkish Rapprochement With Egypt
On Sept. 4, Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Ankara, marking Sisi’ first visit to Turkey since taking power in 2014. Despite the optics...
Op-eds
Erdogan’s Turkey: Champion of Hamas, and an adversary of the West
Press conferences convened by heads of government, are usually carefully planned and choreographed occasions. Typically, prior to taking the podium, each leader’s staff usually finesse their agreed-upon...
Op-eds
Post-Erdogan Turkey Is Finally Here
Last weekend’s elections offer a first glimpse of a political future beyond the reigning strongman.
Op-eds
How Turkey’s opposition media empowers Erdoğan
Complicity in perpetuating authoritarian rule has many faces. Undemocratic governance is propped up by politicians and big businesses as well as a complacent media ecosystem and...
Op-eds
Local Elections Will Soon Decide Turkey’s Future
If Recep Erdogan’s party wins back the country’s biggest cities, big shifts in Turkish politics could follow.
Op-eds
Israel Should Boycott Turkey
Insult is continuously added to injury. Since the October 7 terror attacks on Israel, Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan has used every opportunity to shore up his support for Hamas, while vilifying Jerusalem....
Op-eds
Israel’s Proportional and Humanitarian Response
Contrary to breathless media reports, Israel’s military conduct has not embraced the collective punishment of Palestinians.