President Obama invested considerable political capital in Turkey in his first term, cultivating a close relationship with Prime Minister Erdogan and relying on Turkey as a key regional partner. With the turmoil in Syria, continuing instability in Iraq and Southeastern Turkey, and the crisis in the Eurozone, the Turkish-American partnership has become a critical bilateral relationship. Meanwhile, Turkey faces the task of designing a new constitution which will redefine political life and the tenets of citizenship. Join our expert panel, including high-profile Turkish journalists and media personalities, for a discussion of these developments and their importance for Turkish democracy and regional stability.
Please join the Center for American Progress for a panel discussion of the challenges and opportunities confronting the U.S.-Turkish relationship at the start of President Obama’s second term, featuring Ambassador Marc Pierini, former EU representative in Turkey, and three leading Turkish journalists.
Introduction:
Rudy deLeon, Senior Vice President for National Security & International Policy, Center for American Progress
Panelists:
Ambassador Marc Pierini, visiting scholar, Carnegie Europe; former EU Ambassador to Turkey
Asli Aydintasbas, columnist, Milliyet; Regular contributor on Turkey to the Wall Street Journal and International Herald Tribune
Hamit Bilici, columnist, Zaman and Today’s Zaman, General Manager, Cihan News Agency
Utku Cakirözer, journalist, Cumhuriyet Newspaper
Ferhat Boratav, Editor-in-Chief, CNN-Türk; host, Daily Meeting; Ombudsman, Dogan TV Holding; Former producer, journalist and presenter at the BBC World Service
Moderator:
Michael Werz, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress