The disappearance and alleged murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is worsening relations between US allies Turkey and Saudi Arabia. An expert on the region believes there may be a way out.
With the Syrian conflict right on its borders, and Russia and Iran increasingly shaping the region’s politics, Turkey is becoming beholden to NATO’s enemies.
Gordon Adams, American University School of International Service
The US was once the dominant force in the Middle East. That old order has disappeared. Now the new powers are Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Russia – and the US needs a new policy for the region.
Qatar’s decision to aid Turkey in the face of American sanctions against the country may finally be a snub too far for its close relationship with the US.
The financial crisis provoked by the lira’s fall isn’t the true drama in Turkey. The real drama is a democratic transformation threatens the increasingly authoritarian president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
US sanctions announced earlier this month may have triggered the plunge in the lira, but the government has been mismanaging Turkey’s economy for years, creating severe vulnerabilities.
Madrasas, or Islam-centered schools, have long spread knowledge and literacy throughout the Muslim world. However, can they prepare students for today’s tech-based economies?
Doga Ulas Eralp, American University School of International Service
Turkey’s close relationship with the US dates back to the Cold War. But after the June election there put nationalists into a position of power in the government, that alliance could turn rocky.
The Turkish election highlights the growing strength of Turkish opposition despite the defeat and approves of a president who could be weaker than he would like to appear.
Turkey’s snap election is on Sunday. One fact is clear: The candidates and electorate are both nationalist and pious. That’s in contrast to the strict secularism of 20th century politics.
Associate Professor in Islamic Studies, Director of The Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation and Executive Member of Public and Contextual Theology, Charles Sturt University