The recent Turkish elections indicated the strength of Turkish democracy. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s bid for unrivaled executive power was rejected by Turkey's voters, demonstrating the growing political power of the country’s largest minority group, the Kurds.
Commentary on Turkish politics typically focuses on Islamism, Erdogan’s ambition, the nature of the Justice and Development party, and the various political scandals of the last few years. The reality is that more significant changes in the country are going relatively unnoticed. Turkey’s shifting demographics—rising Kurdish birth rates and lower Turkish birth rates—suggest that this key NATO ally is undergoing a fundamental transformation. What does this mean for Turkey and the rest of the Middle East, particularly countries that have large Kurdish populations including Iraq, Syria, and Iran? What challenges and opportunities will this present to American policymakers in the coming years?
On June 23rd at 10 am, Hudson Institute will host a panel discussion on Turkey, the Kurds, and the Middle East featuring former U.S. ambassador to Turkey James Jeffrey; Tolga Tanis, the Washington correspondent for the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet; Gonul Tol, founding director of the Middle East Institute’s Center for Turkish Studies; and Eric B. Brown, Hudson Institute senior fellow and co-editor of Current Trends in Islamist Ideology. Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Lee Smith will moderate the discussion.
Hudson hosts Eva Maydell, a member of the European Parliament and vice chair of the Delegation on Japan Relations, to speak on recent developments between Europe and the Indo-Pacific.
Join Walter Russell Mead, the Ravenel B. Curry III Distinguished Fellow at Hudson Institute, and France’s ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Muriel Domenach, for a conversation on the Russia-Ukraine War and its implications for European security, the future of NATO and European defense, the transatlantic relationship, and the European and American responses to China’s problematic behavior.
