Turkey’s Democratic Downturn

Turkish democracy has come under fresh assault as the Erdoğan government arrested the leader of Turkey's largest opposition party and the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu, and issued arrest warrants for more than 100 others. Concurrent with Turkey’s domestic turmoil, Ankara is looking to play a more prominent geopolitical role, both in Syria and in Europe, especially as the US pulls back from the European theater. Soner Çağaptay and Aslı Aydıntasbas join Brussels Sprouts this week to discuss these developments. 

Aslı Aydıntaşbaş is a visiting fellow at the Center on the United States and Europe at Brookings.  

Soner Çağaptay is the director of the Turkish Research Program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.