Turkey is a complex and dynamic country, generating more international news content in an average week than most countries do in a year. Its twists and turns make it a very difficult country to decode and forecast, especially if the ultimate aim is to find ways to engage and cooperate. The more black and white an analysis of Turkey sounds, peppered with metaphors of sultans and bygone conclusions, the less you can be assured of its value. Multiple truths often can be true, and most importantly its politics and policies can take sudden 180 degree turns without any advance notice; events that can be categorised as ‘black swans’ can happen far too frequently to be seen as anomalies.