For about fifty years, 1952-2002, Turkey was a solid U.S. ally, helpful vis-à-vis the Soviet Union, Afghanistan, and the Middle East. That changed with the coming to power of the AK Party in 2002 and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in 2003.
Starting with a refusal to let U.S. troops access Iraq through Turkey, passing through Erdoğan’s acquiring dictatorial powers and purchasing an advanced military system from Russia, and ending with the Turkish invasion of Syria, today’s Turkish government behaves more like an opponent than an ally.
Looking ahead, is this likely to be a temporary aberration or does it mark, as in the case of neighboring Iran, a shift likely to last for decades? The answer to this question then determines what steps to take to manage U.S.-Turkish relations.
To address this issue, the Middle East Forum is pleased to invite you to a lunch briefing on Capitol Hill, on December 9, 12-2pm, to hear a panel of speakers discuss these policy challenges and answer your questions.
Speakers include: Congressman Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Co-Chair of the Congressional Hellenic Caucus; Daniel Pipes, President, Middle East Forum; Ilan Berman, Vice President, American Foreign Policy Council; Aram Hamparian, Executive Director, Armenian National Committee of America; Diliman Abdulkader, Spokesperson and co-founder, American Friends of Kurdistan; and Endy Zemenides, Executive Director, Hellenic American Leadership Council.
RSVP required by filling out the form here. Location information will be sent once RSVP confirmed.
Live streaming information will be sent closer to the day of the event.
Space is limited. Business attire. Electronic devices in airplane mode, please.
Remember to allow time to pass through Capitol Hill security.
