This month Turkey’s President Erdogan finally ended his opposition to Sweden’s NATO membership bid after months of brinkmanship and threats, while this week saw him travel to the oil-rich Gulf in a bid to attract investment and bolster his country’s ailing economy. Prof. Henri 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 to break down how Erdogan’s real problem, and the reason behind his decision on Sweden’s NATO membership and his engagement with the Gulf, is the enormous economic challenge that Turkey is facing - much of it his own doing.

Read Henri Barkey’s latest here: Calling Erdogan’s bluff on NATO

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

Saudi Arabia buys Turkish drones during Erdogan’s visit

UAE and Turkey sign multibillion-dollar agreements

Greece faces hottest July weekend in 50 years, forecaster says, as scores of wildfires rage

Wildfires in Greece burn for fifth day as another heatwave hits

Turkey to send three firefighting aircraft to Greece

The EU has revealed its blueprint to curb migration