Somewhat overshadowed by his longtime ally, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish President Abdullah Gul has begun to carve out a more independent, progressive path.

Steven A. Cook discusses Turkish domestic politics after the uprisings.

Steven A. Cook says the Turkish model of military rule is wrong for Egypt.

Turkey's ruling party is sometimes criticized for being Islamist or ideological, but its policies remain essentially nationalist and commercially opportunistic.

In Reset, Stephen Kinzer argues that the United States should partner with Iran and Turkey to promote democracy and combat extremism in the Middle East. Although it is hard to imagine Iran as a friend of Washington, Turkey is ready to play that role.

Turkey hopes to be a global power, but it has not yet become even the regional player that the ruling AKP declares it to be.

Under the leadership of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), Turkey's foreign policy is becoming more Islamic. Can the country's history of cooperation with the West survive?

The ruckus over the election of a religious conservative as Turkey's president has exposed the illiberal nature of Turkish secularism -- as well as the pragmatism of the country's reformed Islamists. Preserving democracy in Turkey by keeping the military out of politics will be a tall order, but the future of the Muslim world's most promising democratic experiment is at stake.

In a departure from its traditional foreign policy, Turkey is now becoming an important player in the Middle East. Turkey's growing concern over Kurdish nationalism has brought Ankara closer to the governments of Iran and Syria, which also contend with restive Kurds at home. Although troubling, this shift could be an opportunity for Washington and its allies to use Turkey as a bridge to the Middle East.

With tension between Russia and Georgia resonating in Turkey, Ankara looks east to expand economic and strategic partnerships.

Turkish military strikes on Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq underscore the ethnic tensions mounting in the region. The unsettled matter of Kirkuk also feeds insecurity.

Turkish ground raids into Iraqi Kurdistan could undermine U.S. military efforts and further fragment Iraq’s federal government.

Turkey’s new president seeks to reinvigorate his country’s efforts to gain EU membership, but major rifts appear to outweigh limited signs of progress.

Turkey’s parliamentary poll focused attention on rifts between secularists and moderate Islamists, not to mention the buildup of Turkish troops along Iraq’s border.

The prospect of an Islamist president has launched heated national debate between Turkey’s traditionalist secular leaders and its moderate Islamists.

Pope Benedict XVI makes his first visit to a majority Muslim state, Turkey, on November 28. The trip’s original aim was to build ties with Christian Orthodox leaders but the pope’s recent comments on faith, reason, and Islam—as well as Turkey’s EU accession—are likely to resonate throughout.

A year into Ankara’s EU accession bid, the path to membership proves to be strewn with obstacles.

The U.S.-Turkish relationship, a Cold War strategic fixture, shows signs of fraying. A new CFR report says Washington can help repair ties by improving dialogue on Iraqi Kurds, taking a bigger role in resolving the Cyprus dispute, and boosting Ankara's bid to join the European Union.