Turkey is facing a major turning point this year as the country heads to elections in May. As President Erdogan faces his toughest electoral challenge yet, the question being asked by leading experts like Prof. Henri Barkey is: what will Erdogan do to stay in power? The earthquake that struck Turkey on Monday and the ensuing tragedy is undoubtedly going to put a new spotlight on Turkey’s leader. Prof. Barkey, the Cohen Professor of International Relations at Lehigh University and Adjunct Senior Fellow for Middle East Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, joins Thanos Davelis today to dig into this question, exploring what steps Erdogan could take both at home and abroad, and breaking down how this devastating earthquake could impact Erdogan’s political fate.

Read Henri Barkey’s latest piece in Foreign Affairs: Turkey’s Turning Point

You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:

Earthquake’s tragic aftermath puts spotlight on Turkey’s leader

Second Greek disaster management team departs for Hatay

Turkey accepts assistance from Cyprus

Menendez okays F-35 sale to Greece