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Elections in Turkey Signal an End to the Presidential Party’s Influence

The defeat of President Erdoğan's candidate for Istanbul mayor is a sign that Turkey's most powerful political party is losing its influence after nearly two decades of control.

Gary M. Grossman

Social Justice

Is Recep Erdoğan Losing His Grip on Turkish Politics?

The authoritarian leader attempted to turn recent local elections into a referendum about national security. The results suggest his tactics did not work.

Ihsan Yilmaz & Erdoan Shipoli

Men wave flags as they celebrate Nowruz festivities on March 21st, 2019, in Diyarbakir, Turkey. Nowruz, which starts on the vernal equinox and marks the Iranian New Year, is celebrated by more than 300 million people in diverse communities across the world.

Viewfinder: Celebrating Nowruz in Turkey

Nowruz, which starts on the vernal equinox and marks the Iranian New Year, is celebrated by more than 300 million people in diverse communities across the world.

Pacific Standard Staff

Police move to disperse thousands of people marching down Istiklal Street during a rally for International Women's Day in Istanbul, Turkey, on March 8th, 2019.

Viewfinder: Istanbul Police Disperse International Women’s Day Rally

Police tried to break up the rally as marchers moved down Istiklal Street.

Pacific Standard Staff

People are seen leaving Camlica Mosque after taking part in the first official public prayer marking the opening of Camlica Mosque on March 7th, 2019, in Istanbul, Turkey.

The Opening of Turkey’s Largest Mosque (in Photos)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan championed the construction of the mosque, which has a capacity of 63,000 people.

Kelley Czajka

Viewfinder: Syrian Fighters Train in Aleppo

Turkish-backed Syrian fighters train in a camp in the Aleppo countryside of northern Syria on December 16th, 2018.

Pacific Standard Staff

Viewfinder: Police Fire Tear Gas on Women’s Rights Activists in Turkey

ProtestErs react after Turkish anti-riot police used tear gas against women's rights activists marching to protest against gender violence in Istanbul.

Pacific Standard Staff

Signs mark fenced-off areas of Varosha, a quarter in the city of Famagusta, Cyprus, which until 1974 was a popular seaside resort. The buildings seen in the background are abandoned beach hotels that attracted Hollywood movie stars until the country's division.

Social Justice

Touring the Ghost Towns of Cyprus

Yiannakis Rousos offers visitors a tour of the home he still hopes to reclaim—and a glimpse of the true cost of this prolonged conflict.

Kira Zalan

Nobel Prize winner Tawakkol Karman holds a poster of Khashoggi while speaking to the media during a protest outside the entrance to the Consulate of Saudi Arabia on October 5th, 2018, in Istanbul, Turkey. At the time, some believed that the writer was still inside and being held by Saudi officials.

Tensions Grow Over Journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s Disappearance (in Photos)

The Saudi journalist is presumed dead by many, though the evidence isn't conclusive.

Emma Sarappo

News in Brief

The Rise of Democracy in Turkey Threatens President Erdoğan’s Rule

While most of the attention is focused on the growing economic crisis in the country, Recep Erdoğan must deal with another serious problem: democratic dissent.

Gary M. Grossman