April 18, 2023, 12:45 - 2:15 pm est
807 Schermerhorn Hall, Columbia University
As the Turkish electorate prepares to go to the polls to elect a new president and a new parliament, what is at stake is nothing less than the direction the Turkish Republic will take at its centennial. The discrepancy between a vibrant, modern and imaginative society and a hollowed-out state and its institutions was put on display during the catastrophic earthquake of February 6. The elections will determine the country's direction in its economic management, political system, and strategic identity. The future of Turkey's politics along a secular democratic path is at stake just when its strategic importance for the Atlantic alliance is being redefined in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Columbia Global Centers | Istanbul, in collaboration with the Sakıp Sabancı Center for Turkish Studies, is organizing an in-person lecture with Soli Özel, a faculty member at Kadir Has University and fellow-in-residence at Columbia Global Centers | Istanbul. In his lecture at the Columbia campus, Özel will discuss the trends in Turkey, present a picture of the country’s current political topography, and evaluate the possible outcomes of the elections."
