The Political Future of Turkey, After 9/11 and the Arab Spring

With Turkey’s presidential and parliamentary elections underway for next month, questions abound over the Middle Eastern country’s prospects. Will the electorate witness the unseating of Recep Erdoğan, their authoritarian leader of 20 years? Did the insufficient response to February’s deadly earthquake reveal a weakness in government that demands a massive overhaul? Will the upcoming celebration of the centennial mark a time for change in the republic? 

On April 19, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum (180 Greenwich St.) will host a talk between museum director Clifford Chanin and lecturer Soli Özel about these recent historic events and more. Özel, who has for years analyzed Turkey under Erdoğan’s rule and its position in the region, will elaborate on the nation’s evolving landscape, and connect the dots from the attacks on September 11 to the Arab Spring uprisings to present day. The event is free and begins at 6 p.m.  

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