Fifty years ago this Saturday, Turkish forces entered northern Cyprus to head off an Athens-backed coup on the island. The US and a few of its western allies soon blocked arms sales to Turkey, seeking to curb Turkey’s actions.
The embargoes backfired over the long run, setting Ankara on a path to developing one of the world’s more robust defence industries. Unable to acquire the weapons and equipment needed to defend itself despite being a key Nato member, Turkey vowed to become self-sufficient and embraced domestic development.
The US lifted its ban in 1978, but Turkey’s efforts accelerated in the 1980s due to a military coup and insurgency from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the country’s south-east. Domestic Turkish defence startups were encouraged to link up with foreign firms to gain know-how, financing and technology transfer.
In 1983, Ankara signed a deal with two American firms to co-produce US F-16 fighter jets in Turkey – an early major boost to Turkish prestige. The 1987 creation of the Turkish Armed Forces Foundation financed the development of the core of Turkey’s defence industry, Aselsan, Havelsan, Tusas, Aspilsan and Roketsan.
Turkey, which had been founded by a revered military leader, began to emerge as a defence and industrial manufacturer earlier than most other states on a similar development timeline. Despite a slowdown in the 1990s, thanks to new arms embargoes from Switzerland, Norway and Germany, and a partial US embargo, by the time the Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power in 2002, Turkey was poised for a major leap.
Led by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is now President, the AKP called for an era of “indigenous solutions” and significantly increased research and development during a period of economic growth. From 2007 to 2017, Ankara’s R&D defence spending tripled to $1.2 billion.
Turkey’s defence exports have nearly tripled over the past decade, from $1.9 billion in 2014 to $5.5 billion last year
The results have been plain to see: the Altay main battle tank in 2008; the country’s first attack helicopter, the T129, in 2014; an array of new missiles, torpedoes and sensory equipment; the Barbaros frigate in 2018. The list goes on and on, with the biggest solution of all being the Bayraktar TB-2 drone, released by Baykar in 2011.
Turkey used the drone successfully against Kurdish militants in Syria and Iraq in 2018. The next year the TB-2 made an impact in Libya’s civil war. In 2020, Azerbaijan used it to defeat Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh. In 2021, after signing a deal to produce TB-2s domestically, Ukraine’s military began using the drone against Russian forces.
Turkey’s top unmanned assault vehicle has since gained considerable international prestige, taking its defence industry along for the ride. The Bayraktar now has near-mythic status in Ukraine, where a police dog, a lemur in Kyiv, a crepe in Lviv and a catchy war song have been given its name. More than 30 countries have bought TB-2s, which has been praised by global heavyweights like political scientist Francis Fukuyama and called the “drone that changed the nature of warfare” by The New Yorker.
Yet Ankara has gone right on releasing new indigenous solutions. These include the country’s first amphibious assault ship and unmanned fighter jet, the Red Apple, a new wave of naval corvettes and frigates, and a series of higher-flying drones. In February, Turkey successfully tested its advanced fighter jet, the Kaan, joining the US, Russia and China as the only states to fly domestically designed 5th-generation aircraft.
Turkey has fallen a little short of its goal of total self-sufficiency, as most of its defence products, including the Kaan, have been based on foreign models or designed and produced with considerable foreign assistance. Top Turkish firms remain reliant on outside components and expertise, importing from Ukraine, South Korea, Russia, the US, the UK and beyond.
Yet Nato’s second-largest military now has the domestic backing to stand tall, with its defence industry accruing considerable respect at home and abroad. Turkey’s defence exports have nearly tripled over the past decade, from $1.9 billion in 2014 to $5.5 billion last year. The world’s 19th-largest economy now ranks just outside the top 10 global defence exporters, coming in at number 11.
Selcuk Bayraktar, creator of the TB-2 and the President’s son-in-law, has become a domestic hero and is widely seen as a leading candidate to succeed Mr Erdogan. It was a Bayraktar Akinci drone that found recently deceased Iranian president Ibrahim Raisi’s downed helicopter in the Iranian mountains in May, after which the drone operator proudly traced the shape of the Turkish flag. And despite Turkey’s close co-operation with non-western actors like Russia (the purchase of S-400 missile systems in 2019) and China (new plans for a $1 billion automotive plant), a robust and confident Turkish defence industry strengthens the western defence architecture.
That is not only because Turkey is a Nato member, but also because Turkish defence manufacturing developed largely within the western industrial defence ecosystem. Two cases in point: in March, with Ukraine facing battlefield shortages, the US turned to Turkey to boost ammunitions supplies; and just last month Turkey joined the Russia-facing, German-led European Sky Shield Initiative, prompting military observers to suggest Turkish missile defence platforms may soon be strengthening Europe’s defence infrastructure.
As for Cyprus, despite countless rounds of talks over the past half-century, the island remains tensely divided between the EU-member Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), recognised only by Ankara. As Turkish, Cypriot and Greek leaders gather on the island this weekend to mark 50 years since the division, some will surely express hope for a resolution in the years to come.
It's probably unwelcome news for southern Cypriots, but Turkey is undeniably better placed today than in 1974 to defend its interests and positions in Cyprus. This helps explain why Ankara has in recent years shifted away from the the island's probable resolution, reunification within a bizonal federation, and begun advocating for two separate states.
Whether or not it is a wise move, time will tell. But there's little question it can be traced back to the initial western response to Turkey’s arrival on the island.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Leaderboard
63 - Mike Lorenzo-Vera (FRA)
64 - Rory McIlroy (NIR)
66 - Jon Rahm (ESP)
67 - Tom Lewis (ENG), Tommy Fleetwood (ENG)
68 - Rafael Cabrera-Bello (ESP), Marcus Kinhult (SWE)
69 - Justin Rose (ENG), Thomas Detry (BEL), Francesco Molinari (ITA), Danny Willett (ENG), Li Haotong (CHN), Matthias Schwab (AUT)
The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
Mica
Director: Ismael Ferroukhi
Stars: Zakaria Inan, Sabrina Ouazani
3 stars
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
THE TWIN BIO
Their favourite city: Dubai
Their favourite food: Khaleeji
Their favourite past-time : walking on the beach
Their favorite quote: ‘we rise by lifting others’ by Robert Ingersoll
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The years Ramadan fell in May
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
The five pillars of Islam
RESULT
Aston Villa 1
Samatta (41')
Manchester City 2
Aguero (20')
Rodri (30')
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Past winners of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
2016 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2015 Nico Rosberg (Mercedes-GP)
2014 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2013 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2012 Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus)
2011 Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2010 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2009 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Quick facts on cancer
- Cancer is the second-leading cause of death worldwide, after cardiovascular diseases
- About one in five men and one in six women will develop cancer in their lifetime
- By 2040, global cancer cases are on track to reach 30 million
- 70 per cent of cancer deaths occur in low and middle-income countries
- This rate is expected to increase to 75 per cent by 2030
- At least one third of common cancers are preventable
- Genetic mutations play a role in 5 per cent to 10 per cent of cancers
- Up to 3.7 million lives could be saved annually by implementing the right health
strategies
- The total annual economic cost of cancer is $1.16 trillion
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
