Erdoğan’s enemy in the NBA
Episode description
Frequent Worldly guest cohost Jen Kirby talks Turkey with NBA player and activist Enes Kanter. Kanter was born in Switzerland to Turkish parents and raised in Turkey, but his criticism of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's ongoing human rights crackdown has made Kanter persona non grata in that country. They discuss how President Joe Biden has handled Turkey so far; the troubling kidnapping of a Turkish-Kyrgyz schoolteacher, part of Erdogan’s campaign of renditions against perceived political enemies; the personal consequences of Kanter's activism; and why he’s excited to become an American citizen soon.
References:
A recap of President Erdoğan’s political purge
Enes Kanter’s op-ed in the Spectator World urged Joe Biden to get tough on Erdoğan
A brief overview of the Biden-Erdoğan meeting
Erdoğan claims the US and Turkey have opened a “new era” in relations
Kanter condemns Turkey’s kidnapping campaign in the Washington Post
Turkey kidnapped Orhan Inandi — and now Erdoğan is bragging about it
The New York Times on Erdoğan’s troubling record of kidnappings
Who is Fethullah Gülen?
And for more on Kanter, read Vox’s 2019 profile
Hosts:
Zack Beauchamp (@zackbeauchamp), senior correspondent, Vox
Jennifer Williams (@jenn_ruth), senior foreign editor, Vox
Jen Kirby (@j_kirby1), foreign and national security reporter, Vox
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