Celal Budak
09 April 2025
When Istanbul’s cafes fell silent
The opposition in Turkey has been reluctant to use protests as a tool against Erdoğan. But the arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu, the mayor of Istanbul, has changed everything
Read the full article24 March 2025
The prisoner of Erdoğan
A report from the front line as Turkey slides into autocracy
Read the full article19 June 2024
Erdoğan’s Ukraine tightrope
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Turkey has been attempting a balancing act between the two warring nations
Read the full article22 May 2024
Mayday for Turkey’s dissidents
After his humiliating local election defeat, Erdoğan wants to silence his ideological opponents
Read the full article10 April 2024
Erdoğan loses… at last
Turkey’s recent local elections shattered the president’s illusion of invincibility
Read the full article24 March 2024
The day Turkey’s alphabet changed
What happens when a country can’t read its own past?
Read the full article21 February 2024
Remembering Turkey’s earthquake, one year on
Next month’s local elections are sure to bring extensive debate over how the disaster was handled by local government
Read the full article07 February 2024
Inside Estonia’s closed city
What if Russian soldiers return to the small town Paldiski that they left 30 years ago?
Read the full article29 November 2023
Turkey has a long history with Gaza
Erdoğan is risking alienating Israel, a crucial trade partner, to please his voter base
Read the full article29 October 2023
Turkey, a nation divided by a common cause
Turkish secularists and Islamists have been demonstrating against the war, but for different reasons
Read the full article04 October 2023
The team that Turkey’s religious right loves to hate
Turkey’s women’s volleyball team is not just a group of athletes – they embody so much more
Read the full article20 September 2023
History and football intertwine at Istanbul’s 5th-century stadium
The story of “Wembley of Turkey” goes far back into the Byzantine era
Read the full article02 August 2023
North Macedonia remains on the edge of the EU
In Skopje, scepticism is increasing over whether North Macedonia will ever claim the prize of EU membership
Read the full article17 May 2023
A divided Turkey holds its breath
Despite a flailing economy and soaring unemployment, president Erdoğan may retain his grip on the country's reins
Read the full article