Soner Cagaptay on Turkey's Geopolitical Gamble

<p>Lately, Turkey’s actions have come into the limelight. It notably delayed Sweden's and Finland’s memberships in NATO in exchange for fulfilling its own security demands. Meanwhile, it continues to supply drones and other weapons to Ukraine to resist Russian aggression while maintaining its relationship with Moscow at the same time. Turkey has further been involved in the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia as well as in civil wars in Syria and Libya. It has also sought to expand its influence in South Asia by deepening its multifaceted cooperation with Pakistan. </p><p>In this episode of Interpreting India, <a href="https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/experts/soner-cagaptay">Soner Cagaptay</a> joins <a href="https://carnegieindia.org/experts/1933">Rahul Bhatia</a> to discuss Turkey’s role in shaping the Russia-Ukraine war, the rationale behind its actions, and how President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s electoral priorities impact Turkish foreign policy during the conflict. It further looks into Turkey’s diplomatic efforts in the Middle East and North Africa through the lens of its involvement in regional conflicts, how Turkey’s drones are influencing its foreign policy, and finally, the implications of Turkey’s engagement with South Asia on India.</p><p>--</p><p><strong>Episode Contributors</strong></p><p><a href="https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/experts/soner-cagaptay">Soner Cagaptay</a> is the Beyer Family fellow and director of the <a href="https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/about/research-programs/turkish-research-program/">Turkish Research Program</a> at The Washington Institute. He has written extensively on U.S.-Turkish relations, Turkish domestic politics, and Turkish nationalism, publishing in scholarly journals and major international print media, including the <i>Wall Street Journal</i>, <i>Washington Post</i>, <i>New York Times</i>, <i>Foreign Affairs</i>, and <i>The Atlantic</i>. He has been a regular columnist for <i>Hürriyet Daily News</i>, Turkey's oldest and most influential English-language