media + commentary
I write and speak frequently on the politics and foreign policy of the United States, Europe, and the Middle East.
Check out some of my selected commentary and analysis below.
I was an inaugural Public Voices Fellow of the Op-Ed Project and University of Illinois in 2019-2020.
For media requests, please see my Contact information.
You can also look me up on #WomenAlsoKnowStuff.
WHAT DOES ERDOGAN
ERDO-WANT?
I spoke with Aaron Schwartzbaum of the Foreign Policy Research Institute about the war in Ukraine, Turkey’s positioning towards it, and what it means in the context of the country’s domestic politics and its leader.
Why is turkey blocking Sweden and Finland’s NATO bids?
I spoke to Mark Leon Goldberg of the Global Dispatches about Turkey’s opposition to Sweden and Finland’s NATO memberships, and what Turkey is trying to get out of it.
TURKEY AS AN OBSTACLE TO NATO EXPANSION?
I joined Lisel Hintz and Jarrod Hayes of the Duck of Minerva to discuss Turkey’s opposition to the Swedish and Finnish membership in NATO and its domestic reasons.
(Listen to the podcast here.)
TURKEY’S TANKING LIRA?
I spoke with Mark Leon Goldberg of the Global Dispatch on Turkey’s ongoing economic crisis and the factors that explain it.
(Listen to the podcast here.)
AUKUS IS AWKWARD, BUT NOT ABNORMAL
How could a submarine deal open a breach this wide in U.S-French relations? Our recent survey experiment among U.S. foreign policy experts helps answer that question.
In our latest War on the Rocks essay, Smeltz, Poast, Kafura and I share the results of study to explain why the AUKUS deal isn’t too far off from how the US foreign policy establishment thinks about America’s alliance relationships.
turkey’s phantom coalition
In a follow up to my new essay on the AKP - MHP partnership in Turkey and its impact on Turkish foreign policy (published in the American Political Science Association’s MENA Newsletter), I did a podcast with Dr. Mehmet Yegin of FeniksPolitik. We discussed the recent research on coalition politics and foreign policy, whether the AKP-MHP partnership is a coalition, and what impact MHP has on Turkish foreign policy.
(December 2020)
Read the transcript or check out the podcast here. (in English)
2020 us PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION RESULTS and its foreign policy implications
I spoke to the Deutsche Welle Turkish service about the US presidential election and what the results mean for US foreign policy.
(November 2020)
2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS AND US - TURKEY RELATIONS
I spoke to the BBC Turkish service about the 2020 US presidential elections and the future of US - Turkey relations.
(October 2020)
resource curse redux? lessons from norway and venezuela
I spoke to Ivme Hareketi, a democratic socialist platform in Turkey, about the country’s recent discovery of natural gas in the Black Sea and what to do with natural resource wealth, using Norway and Venezuela as examples.
(August 2020)
Turkey and allies undermine OSCE by blocking key reappointments
I spoke to Ahval News about Turkey’s concerted efforts with Azerbaijan and Tajikistan to block the reappointments of key OSCE officials, and the implications of this behavior on Turkish foreign policy.
(August 2020)
Turkey may be misjudging north Cyprus elections
I spoke to Ahval News on Turkey’s position and preferences in the Northern Cyprus elections.
(March 2020)
The future of U.S.-Turkey strategic relations
I spoke to Ahval News about the future of Turkish democracy and what the future holds for the relations between the U.S. and Turkey.
(February 2020)
Erdogan’s Dismissive Retort on Armenian Genocide Shows How Low U.S. Ties Have Sunk
I spoke to The New York Times about the House’s decision to recognize the Armenian Genocide and whether it would further deteriorate U.S.-Turkey relations.
(October 2019)
U.S., Turkey agree on ceasefire to allow Kurdish withdrawal from northern Syrian strip
My comments appeared in The Globe and Mail on the ceasefire agreement between the United States and Turkey following the Turkish offensive in Syria against the YPG forces.
(October 2019)
TURKISH OFFENSIVE IN nORTHERN SYRIA
I spoke to The Depaulia about the Turkish military operation in northern Syria. Why did the United States decide to withdraw troops from Syria, and what are Turkey’s policy goals in the region?
(October 2019)
trump and his foolish foreign policy decisions
I wrote in The Hill about Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria and its consequences for American foreign policy in the region.
(October 2019)
THE EAST-MED ACT: what’s in store for turkey?
I spoke to Ahval News about the Menendez-Rubio bill that supports the new partnership between Israel, Cyprus and Greece in the Mediterranean — what does it mean for US-Turkey relations?
(July 2019)
An Istanbul mayoral election is rattling Turkey’s politics
I spoke to Vox on the Istanbul mayoral re-election and its implications for Turkey’s national political scene.
(June 2019)
erdogan’s visit to russia and
the s-400/f-35 row
I spoke to the Lebanese daily Annahar about whether the AKP’s defeat in the local elections could weaken his bargaining power regarding the purchasing of the S-400 missile system.
(April 2019)
TURKISH PRESIDENTIAL REFERENDUM
I spoke to Correio Braziliense on the 2017 referendum and what it means for Turkish democracy.
(April 2017)
In this The Conversation piece, I discuss the potential consequences of Ambassador Karlov’s assassination for Turkish foreign policy in the region.
(December 2016)
TURKISH FOREIGN POLICY IN SYRIA
I spoke to the Dutch news magazine, De Groene Amsterdammer, about Turkish foreign policy in Syria.
(September 2016)
tURKEY’S SIX FOREIGN POLICY SINS
In this The Conversation piece I explain we should discuss the June 2016 Istanbul Ataturk Airport bombing in the context of Turkey's recent foreign policy mistakes.
This piece was featured in numerous outlets including The Huffington Post, The New Republic, and Informed Comment.
(June 2016)
Turkish presidential elections & the kurdish peace process
In this E-International Relations piece I discuss the prospects of the Kurdish peace process in the context of the 2014 presidential elections.
(August 2014)