Türkiye, Iran and the Middle East Discussed at Roundtable

A roundtable meeting organized by the Bahçeşehir University Center for American Studies focused on Türkiye, Iran and the situation in the Middle East. In parallel, the upcoming US elections and the possible effects on the region of each candidate winning were discussed.

The roundtable meeting, featuring as speaker one of RAND Corporation's leading analysts, Stephen Larrabee, was held with the participation of Prof. Dr. Yılmaz Esmer, Prof. Dr. Nilüfer Narlı, Dr. Sean Cox, Assist. Prof. Dr. Süha Atatüre, , Tülin Hattat, Sami Kohen, former Member of the European Parliament Ozan Ceyhun, Assist. Prof. Dr. Deniz Tansiand Head of the Bahçeşehir University Center for American Studies Assist. Prof. Dr. Burak Küntay.

The meeting drew attention to Türkiye's power and importance in the region. It was noted that Türkiye is not responsible for the clashes in Syria, but rather follows a policy of reacting to developments. It was pointed out that Assad had proved more resilient than expected and that, although time is needed to resolve the problem, the policy pursued has been relatively successful. It was emphasized that Türkiye'sZero Problems with Neighborspolicy had not succeeded because it did not align with the rise of the Arab Spring forces.

It was explained that the situation in the US has changed, that the American public is "war-weary," and that "war selectivity" will be applied from now on. The consensus, both in public opinion and in government circles, that priority should be given to Asia, especially to rising power China, was also discussed.

The meeting, at which Deniz Tansi, Nilüfer Narlı, Sami Kohen and Süha Atatüre also spoke, ended with closing remarks by Burak Küntay.