Turkey Wonk

The Turkish elections surprised most observers. No one doubted that Recep Tayyip Erdogan would win, but few expected the far right MHP to maintain support and win more than 11% of the vote. What just happened? What does it all mean? To break it all down, Aaron spoke with Laura Pitel, the Turkey correspondent for the Financial Times, about the recent election.    Support Turkey Wonk over at Patreon.com/acwpodcast, the Patreon for both Turkey and Arms Control Wonk!

Turkey and the F-35 has made a lot of news in the past few weeks. First, Turkey had an interesting cultural display at the Lockheed ceremony in Fort Worth.   Second, the Senate’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act included language that could threaten the Turkish role in the F-35 consortium. Against this backdrop, Ankara continues to tell the world it will import the Russian made S-400, potential triggering American sanctions and raising questions about US-Turkish defense-industrial cooperation.   To make sense of it all, Aaron spoke with Valerie Insinna, Air Warfare Reporter for Defense News.    Links of Note: Valerie's reporting on the F-35 delivery. Van Hollen-Graham amendment.   Support Turkey Wonk over at Patreon.com/acwpodcast, the Patreon for both Turkey and Arms Control Wonk!

Turkish voters head to the polls on June 24th to vote for the country’s future president and members of parliament. The election outcome is uncertain and hinges on the complicated interplay between two main political coalitions and Turkey’s Kurds. The outcome is uncertain and any number of scenarios are in play. To discuss the latest from the campaign, Aaron speaks with Piotr Zalewski, the Economist correspondent in Turkey, about the state of the race.   Support Turkey Wonk over at Patreon.com/acwpodcast!

The Kurdish referendum is going forward, despite most of the world opposing the non-binding vote on the independence question. The pro-independence campaign will win, but what will the fall out be?   Is Iraq destined for more violence? What about Kirkuk and the disputed territories? Iran and Turkey? Federal Iraq? To unpack these issues, Aaron talks with friend of the pod Michael Stephens, a research fellow at RUSI.