Does Russia’s war in Ukraine present an opportunity for President Erdogan to end his country’s isolation and advance the idea that Turkey is a global leader, and is this more about luck rather than shrewd diplomacy? 

Steven Cook, an expert on Turkish politics and the Eni Enrico Mattei senior fellow for Middle East and Africa studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, joins our host Thanos Davelis today to break this down.

Read Steven Cook’s latest piece in Foreign Policy: Ukraine’s War Is Erdogan’s Opportunity

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

U.S.-Turkey Joint Statement on the Strategic Mechanism

US official says Russians must access the truth on Ukraine

Nuland praises Cyprus’ solidarity over Russian invasion

Greece to ramp up coal mining to help cut reliance on gas, PM says

Greece pushing back phase-out of lignite plants to reduce dependence on Russian natural gas