David Lepeska
David Lepeska
Columnist


Turkish soldiers walk in a column in Cyprus on September 18, 1974. Cyprus marks a half-century of division this summer. AFP
How Turkey’s defence industry has gone from strength to strength

Nato’s second-largest military now has the domestic backing to stand tall

July 19, 2024, 4:00 AM
A year after taking office, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan seems to have shed his usual reserve for a bolder stance. Reuters
We may be witnessing the emergence of Hakan Fidan’s Turkey

Ankara's top diplomat is leaving his stamp on the world stage. Could he lead the country one day?

July 09, 2024, 7:00 AM
A woman takes a selfie with popular YouTuber and TikToker Fidias Panayiotou in Nicosia, Cyprus, on Tuesday. AP
Cyprus’s YouTube prankster could change EU politics

Europeans tired of career politicians have elected several new faces, like Fidias Panayiotou, to Parliament

June 18, 2024, 4:00 AM
A Ukrainian soldier on duty in the Donetsk region. Kyiv has lowered the draft age, launched a recruitment campaign and passed a mobilisation law. EPA
Ukraine works to alter the maths in the ‘numbers game’ with Russia

Zelenskyy's mobilisation drive has been a partial success, even though, for many, it may have gone too far

June 11, 2024, 4:00 AM
People gather with the Kurdish flag during a Syrian Kurdish celebration marking Nowruz in the town of Qahtaniyah. AFP
Does Syrian Kurdish democracy pose a threat to Turkey?

Ankara sees upcoming elections as solidifying a state, which, in its view, would pose a clear threat

June 04, 2024, 4:00 AM
Marion Marechal, leader of the French far-right party Reconquete, during a tribute ceremony to Joan of Arc in Domremy-la-Pucelle this month. AFP
Will Muslim-led parties succeed in pushing back against Europe’s far right?

For now the continent is sure to embrace a fortress mentality, but the pendulum will swing back at some point

May 28, 2024, 4:00 AM
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shake hands after a joint news conference in Ankara, Turkey. AP
Could Turkey’s conservative turn roil the suddenly calm Aegean?

Ankara and Athens have found a way to compartmentalise their chequered relationship, if this week’s summit is any indication

May 15, 2024, 4:00 AM
Demonstrators gather at Sultanahmet Square in Istanbul last week during a protest march in solidarity with Palestinians. Reuters
Pariah or pioneer? Turkey has taken a bold stand against Israel’s war in Gaza

The invasion of Rafah could see other countries follow Ankara's lead

May 07, 2024, 4:00 AM
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a rally in solidarity with Gazans in Istanbul last October. Reuters
With Middle East mediation, Turkey may have a chance to make history

Getting there might require strategic brilliance and dogged commitment to solving one of the world’s knottiest conundrums

April 23, 2024, 5:00 AM
Israeli forces approach one of six ships bound for Gaza in the Mediterranean Sea on May 31, 2010. Reuters
Turkey to the rescue, or is the new Gaza flotilla a provocation?

Rather than saving Palestinian lives, the maritime aid convoy could be set for another confrontation at sea with Israeli forces

April 15, 2024, 3:00 PM
A woman walks in front of a local election campaign poster of incumbent mayor of Istanbul and Istanbul mayoral candidate Ekrem Imamoglu of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), in Istanbul, Turkey, 23 March 2024.  The local elections in Turkey are scheduled for 31 March 2024.   EPA / ERDEM SAHIN
Has a new political era dawned in Turkey?

It is possible. But even as Erdogan's AKP has lost local elections, it's never lost a nationwide vote

April 01, 2024, 12:20 PM
Imamoglu will compete against AKP candidate Murat Kurum in the March 31 municipal election. Reuters
The rise and possible fall of Istanbul's superstar Mayor Imamoglu

March's municipal elections may well determine the future of one of Turkey's most promising opposition politicians

March 19, 2024, 4:00 AM
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Istanbul on March 8. Getty Images
Ukraine is in for the long haul, even as calls grow to wave the 'white flag'

Besides internal squabbles in Ukraine and questions about its defences, there's still a need for more robust foreign support

March 12, 2024, 4:00 AM
Sections of the Parthenon Marbles, also known as the Elgin Marbles, in the British Museum. PA
The problem of where looted masterpieces belong

Museums have been facing a reckoning in recent years for the potentially criminal tactics many used to obtain valuables

February 27, 2024, 7:00 AM
The Bosphorus in Istanbul with the backdrop of the Ortakoy Mosque and the 15 July Martyrs Bridge. EPA
How to lose the crown jewel of cities, by Turkey's opposition

Mayoral elections are next month, and Istanbul is the biggest prize up for grabs

February 15, 2024, 4:00 AM