Description:

Recent developments in the Syrian civil war have cast their shadow on US-Turkish relations in an unprecedented way. The decision of the US President to withdraw forces from Syria and Turkey’s military operation in northeastern Syria have led to public outcry in the United States and Europe, brought Turkey to an isolated position on the international level and raised attention to the Kurdish question as a transborder conflict in the Middle East. On the other hand, Turkey’s military operation reinforced the position of President Erdogan in the domestic front by raising nationalist fervor, forestalled disintegration trends within the government party, put aside concerns about the state of economy and human rights, and questioned the coherence of the recently forged opposition alliance. We will discuss the domestic and international underpinnings of a crisis that is reshaping Turkey’s domestic politics and foreign policy.

We invite students and faculty to this event. Please RSVP to gina.stec@northwestern.edu