FDD Morning Brief

The Islamic Republic of Iran has launched a barrage of drones from its soil, in-bound for targets in Israel. After more than 6 months of attacks on Israel by Iranian-backed proxies following the Hamas massacre of October 7, this escalation comes in response to the recent killing of top IRGC commanders by Israel in Damascus. Numerous drones have been intercepted by U.S. and Israeli air defense systems, with explosions heard in the skies of Jerusalem. Is this the beginning of a multiday attack by Tehran? FDD Senior Vice President Jonathan Schanzer and FDD Senior Fellow and former IDF International Spokesperson Lt. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Conricus deliver a timely situational report on what we know and what we can expect.

Read more and watch the discussion here: https://www.fdd.org/events/2024/04/13/iran-attacks-israel-with-drones-and-missiles-fdd-sitrep-with-jonathan-schanzer-and-jonathan-conricus/

Former IDF Spokesperson and FDD Senior Fellow Lt. Col. (Res.) Jonathan Conricus delivers timely situational updates and analysis on headlines of the Middle East, followed by a conversation with journalist and content creator Emily Schrader who has been working on the frontlines of the media battle since 10/7 to expose the disinformation campaign waged against Israel and bring accurate reporting to the public.

Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/

FDD Senior Vice President Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis on the war in the Middle East, followed by a conversation with Rebeccah Heinrichs, Director and Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute.

Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

FDD Senior Vice President Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis on the war in the Middle East, followed by a conversation with John Podhoretz, Editor of Commentary Magazine.

Learn more at: www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/

FDD Senior Vice President Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis on the war in the Middle East, followed by a conversation with Roi Kais, Arab Affairs correspondent for Channel 11/Kan News.

Learn more at: www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/

In May 2023, Turkey held its national elections, where Recep Tayyip Erdogan secured a third term in office, until 2028. The local elections may give the mistaken impression that they are less important in outcome than the national. This could not be further than the truth, as Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) suffered a resounding defeat across the entire country. The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) delivered its best electoral performance since 1977, and denied Erdogan the ability to win back major cities across the country, including Istanbul and Ankara. Moreover, the result can be interpreted as a personal repudiation of Erdogan by voters, and the launching of Ekrem Imamoglu’s national political career. It is now widely assumed that Imamoglu, the current CHP mayor of Istanbul, is the presumptive nominee who will seek to succeed Erdogan at the next presidential election (2028). Questions following Sunday’s elections are clear: are the results of the local elections the beginning of the end of Erdogan’s time in office? To what extent is Erdogan politically wounded? Are we witnessing a democratic revival in Turkey? What course will Erdogan chart in response to Sunday’s results?

To discuss the election results and its immediate to long term implications, FDD hosts a panel featuring Guldem Atabay, Economist at Istanbul Analytics; Sinan Ciddi, Non-Resident Senior Fellow at FDD; Howard Eissenstat, Associate Professor of Middle East History at St. Lawrence University; and Atilla Yesilada, President at Istanbul Analytics. The panel will be moderated by journalist Yavuz Baydar, and feature introductory remarks by FDD Senior Vice President for Research, Jonathan Schanzer.

Read more and watch the conversation here:

https://www.fdd.org/events/2024/04/03/turkeys-local-elections-outcome-and-implications/

FDD Senior Vice President Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis on the war in the Middle East and Israel's operations in Gaza, followed by a conversation with Jason Brodsky, Policy Director of United Against Nuclear Iran.

Learn more at: www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/

FDD Senior Vice President Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Aaron MacLean, FDD senior fellow, Marine, and host of "School of War," a podcast that analyzes current foreign policy and strategy through the lens of military history.

Learn more at: www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/

FDD Senior Vice President Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Sinan Ciddi, FDD non-resident senior fellow and expert on Turkish politics.

Learn more at: www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/

FDD Senior Vice President Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis on headlines of the Middle East, followed by a conversation with Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

Learn more at: www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/