RFI goes behind-the-scenes of one of the week's major stories, providing in-depth analysis and context on international news events.
Épisodes
Turkey courts Egypt to tip the scales in eastern Mediterranean power game
This week’s joint naval exercises between Turkey and Egypt in the eastern Mediterranean are the latest move in a burgeoning partnership, as Ankara intensifies its efforts to draw Cairo closer and loosen its bonds with Turkish rivals Greece, Cyprus and Israel. The "Sea of Friendship 2026" naval drills, held from 4-9 November off the coast of Alexandria, follow five years of rapprochement after near
Libya-Turkey maritime deal stokes tensions in eastern Mediterranean
The ratification of a maritime agreement between Libya and Turkey is stoking tensions across the eastern Mediterranean. Athens has condemned the deal as illegal, amid wider regional concern over Turkey’s growing influence. On Thursday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis criticised the deal, which Libya’s eastern-based parliament ratified on 20 October, calling it “blatantly illegal, null and
Azerbaijan hijab ban exposes strain in ‘brotherly’ ties with Turkey
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a staunch advocate of Muslim rights, has been notably silent on Azerbaijan’s recent hijab ban in schools. For years, Erdogan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev have shared a close alliance, but the ban is putting the Turkish president in a tight spot. School uniform rules introduced in September in predominantly Muslim Azerbaijan, which is a secular stat
Shipping attacks threaten Turkey's resolve to keep warships out of Black Sea
A wave of deadly attacks on cargo ships in the waters of NATO members Bulgaria and Romania has jolted the alliance into calling an emergency meeting on Black Sea security. Yet any move to send NATO ships hinges on Turkey reversing its steadfast refusal to allow warships into the Black Sea. Thursday saw two chemical tankers struck by drones close to a Romanian port. It follows two similar attacks i
Houthi war risks dragging Israel and Turkey into Horn of Africa standoff
The escalating clash between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia now threatens to ignite the already tense rivalry between Israel and Turkey in the Horn of Africa. This week, Turkey threw its military weight behind Saudi Arabia, while Somaliland – a self-declared state recognised only by Israel – is urgently seeking Israeli military support. Somaliland, a breakaway state from Somalia, is calling on Israe
Houthi attacks put Turkey’s new Saudi defence pact to the test
Attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels on Saudi Arabia are putting Turkey's new defence pact with the kingdom to its first major test – forcing Ankara to weigh support for its ally against the risk of being drawn deeper into the conflict. Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement on 7 August, committing themselves to the principle that an attack on one is an attack on al
Sweeping raids leave Turkey’s LGBTQI+ community fearing what comes next
Turkey has jailed dozens of people pending trial as a sweeping crackdown on LGBTQI+ groups widens, prompting international condemnation and protests outside Turkish embassies on Friday. By Thursday, courts in several provinces had jailed at least 82 people following raids on LGBTQI+ organisations, clubs, cafes and homes. The cases include LGBTQI+ activists and members of rights groups as well as p
Erdogan hints at larger nuclear partnership with Russia, unsettling Turkey's allies
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is signalling a move to expand nuclear power cooperation with Russia, just as his country’s first Russian-built nuclear station prepares to go live later this year. The deepening partnership is likely to unsettle Turkey’s western allies. On the sidelines of a recent gathering of regional leaders in Kyrgyzstan, Erdogan told his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Pu
Turkey seeks Black Sea shipping deal as attacks threaten grain trade
Turkey is racing to restore safe passage for cargo ships in the Black Sea as attacks on shipping disrupt grain exports and push up prices. Russia and Ukraine are major global wheat exporters, but Black Sea trade has been severely disrupted as both sides step up attacks on shipping and port infrastructure. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced this week that Turkey was working on a plan to
What the SDF’s dissolution means for Syria’s Kurds and neighbouring Turkey
Nearly a week after the Syrian Democratic Forces agreed to dissolve, the consequences are beginning to take shape for Syria's Kurds and neighbouring Turkey. As the former US-backed force is absorbed into the Syrian state, questions remain over what the country's Kurds have secured in return – from language and political rights to protections for women – and what the end of more than a decade of Ku
Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan strengthen ties as Israel tensions rise
Tensions between Turkey and Israel have intensified after an Israeli airstrike targeted a Syrian military airbase near the Turkish border. The strike came days after Turkey’s new military pact with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Ankara swiftly condemned Tuesday's Israeli airstrike on Syria’s Abu Duhur military airbase, 70 kilometres from its border, calling it illegal and a breach of Syrian sovereignt
In Turkey, one of the world's longest conflicts reaches a turning point
Turkey stands on the threshold of closing a conflict spanning almost 50 years, after the Turkish parliament this week passed a law allowing exiled Kurdish militants to return home and rejoin society. The legislation aims to end the war with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has battled the Turkish state for independence since 1984. On Monday, legislators voted 468-88 in favour of a law det
Turkey's new opposition party offers hope, but its future is already in jeopardy
The launch of the Yeni Party in Turkey promises to energise the country's struggling opposition. But while some polls show it leading, it remains vulnerable – already beset by arrests it says are "politically motivated". In a glitzy video, set to pumping music and shared widely across social media, Ozgur Ozel launched the Yeni Party – "New Party" – vowing to usher in a new era in Turkish politics
Fears of wheat price surge amid Ukraine-Russia clashes in the Black Sea
Intensifying clashes between Ukraine and Russia in the Black Sea are threatening a crucial trade artery responsible for nearly a third of the world's wheat supply, stoking fears of soaring prices and shortages. Earlier in July, a Russian cruise missile struck the grain carrier Golden Leo, claiming ten lives. This marked the deadliest blow yet in a mounting campaign by both Russian and Ukrainian fo
Israel's move to recognise Armenian genocide stalls under regional pressure
The Israeli parliament's decision to postpone a vote on recognising the Armenian genocide by Ottoman Turkey is being seen as a triumph for regional diplomacy, as Azerbaijan in particular seeks to avert a further escalation in tensions between its close allies. The Israeli government gave no official reason for postponing the vote to formally recognise the Armenian genocide by Ottoman Turkey during
Turkey marks a decade since the coup that never was, but never really ended
On 16 July, Turkey marked a decade since the failed coup that shook the nation. Its defeat is widely viewed as the final curtain on military meddling in politics and as the moment when President Erdogan cemented his grip on power, yet the aftershocks for human rights and foreign relations still reverberate. On 16 July, Turkey marked a decade since the failed coup that shook the nation. Its defeat
Trump lifts Turkey sanctions, eyes F-35 sale
US President Donald Trump made headlines this week at the Nato summit in Ankara by declaring an end to all sanctions against Turkey, paving the way for the sale of the F-35 stealth fighter jet to the alarm of Greece and Israel. 'We are going to be taking the sanctions off; it's time to do that, OK. We don't want to sanction friends; it's very simple,' declared Trump to the international media, sit
China's missile test overshadowed by Iran war, but Pacific nations are watching
China recenly test-fired a nuclear-capable missile from a submarine into the Pacific, the first such launch from a nuclear-powered vessel and the first submarine-based test since 1982. The missile, identified by Taiwan as a JL-2 with a range of some 7,000 kilometres, came down near the Solomon Islands, drawing swift condemnation from Washington even as global attention remains fixed on the war bet
Israel's recognition of the Armenian genocide unsettles Turkey and Azerbaijan
Israel's government voted on 28 June to recognise the 1915 Armenian genocide, breaking with decades of official reticence on the issue. RFI spoke to three regional experts to unpack the politics behind the vote and its fallout: Gerald Steinberg, professor at Bar-Ilan University in Tel Aviv; Richard Giragossian, director of the Regional Studies Centre in Yerevan; and Ilter Turan, professor at Bilgi
Summit host Turkey eyes major weapons deals with NATO allies
Next week's NATO Summit in Ankara is expected to showcase Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s rising influence within the alliance, as he aims to use the gathering to overcome resistance to crucial arms deals and highlight the rapid growth of Turkey’s defence industry. Boasting NATO’s second-largest army and sharing borders with flashpoints from Ukraine to the Middle East, Turkey is at the he
Turkey opposition worries that Europe is sacrificing democracy for security
Turkey's main opposition says its Western allies are failing to respond as a widening crackdown by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government targets its leaders and elected mayors. The latest arrests this week followed a court decision to remove Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Ozgur Ozel and reinstate former leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu in an unprecedented move that was widely condemned by T
Brexit at 10: What price has the UK paid for 'taking back control'?
Ten years after the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, Brexit supporters still see this as a historic act of sovereignty, while critics point to the resulting economic damage and political division. This week RFI examines the legacy of the 2016 Brexit referendum through the sharply contrasting views of three analysts: Federico Fabbrini of the Brexit Institute in Dublin, Robert Ould
Brexit at 10: the promises, the costs and the search for accountability
Ten years on, the UK's decision to leave the European Union is increasingly seen as more than a single referendum result. Critics argue it reflected a wider crisis of political imagination, with Brexit supporters misreading both Britain and the world, while the promised future never arrived. The referendum held on 23 June 2016 remains one of the defining decisions in modern British history. Suppor
Lebanon becomes latest battleground in Turkish-Israeli tensions
Lebanon is emerging as the newest flashpoint in the increasingly strained relations between Turkey and Israel, with the former's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issuing a stark warning that Turkish security begins in Beirut. Earlier this month, Erdogan addressed his parliamentary deputies with a forceful condemnation of Israel’s strikes on Lebanon and Syria, warning that Turkey’s security now stret
