EPISODE 3: Turkey will not be ignored, Michael!
A gambler. A volatile ex-girlfriend. A weight. There are so many ways to describe this singular nation that sits at the intersection of east and west, always playing by its own rules. Join Michael and Kate as they explore the colorful history of the former Ottoman Empire, embracing tradition and evolution, secularism and deep religious faith, and allyship with the EU and Asia simultaneously. This critical nation is one to watch. You will come away with a better understanding of what makes it tick, its likely future influence, and why it matters.
Since the founding of the modern Turkish Republic in 1923 from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire, Turkey (Türkiye) has continued to have one foot in Europe and one foot in Asia. History and geography weigh heavily on this strategically located country. Turkey remains a vital economic engine, a gateway between continents, and a significant military and geopolitical player in the Levant, Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and Caucasus regions.
President Recep Erdoğan (in power since 2014) has re-introduced religion into national politics, and likewise has diminished the influence of the Turkish military (seen as the traditional arbiter of stability and secularism). Erdoğan arguably has also become embedded as a possible president-for-life. Turkey follows its own foreign policy, often at odds with its NATO and European partners, and pursues the goals of attempting to become a full-fledged member of the European Union, while also courting Russia and China in order to achieve its aspirations of a “Greater Türkiye”. European mistrust (based both on historical and cultural reasons) has made Turkey “In Europe, but not of Europe”. Likewise, Turkey has friction with some of its neighbors due its territorial claims (e.g., Cyprus); refugee policies (e.g., European refugee crisis); and military interventions in Libya, Syria, and elsewhere. With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,
Turkey was instrumental in securing the UN-brokered grain deal to bring Ukrainian foodstuff through the Black Sea. Turkey also made sure to extract concessions (from the US and its NATO partners) for its support of the accession of Finland and Sweden into NATO. Turkish support of Azerbaijan against Armenia signals continued instability in the Caucasus region, at the expense of a decline in Russia’s ability to police its “Near Abroad.” And finally, China and Turkey are rapidly filling in the vacuum left by a declining Russia in the former Soviet Asian Republics. Türkiye is the country that won’t be ignored – much to the detriment of any nation that chooses to overlook it.
