Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, brought to power through pro-democracy protests in 2018, resigned from his role in April of this year to trigger a snap election and overcome criticism of his handling of the Nagorno-Karabakh war. Even after mass protests were held calling for his removal, Pashinyan’s party has comfortably won the elections. What will his second term hold for the South Caucasus region and Armenia's relations with Turkey?

Guests:

Mitat Celikpala

Professor at Kadir Has University

Richard Giragosian

Director of the Regional Studies Center

Operating out of the Qandil mountains in northern Iraq, the PKK terror group has regularly launched cross-border attacks into Turkey. Throughout much of last year the Turkish military launched a series of operations which located and destroyed PKK training camps and hideouts. Turkey’s decade’s long war against the PKK terror group has led to tense relations between Baghdad and Ankara. Turkey’s ambassador to Iraq Ali Riza Guney explains the delicate relation.

Guests:

Ali Riza Guney

Turkish Ambassador to Iraq

In early June, Turkey announced the discovery of 135 billion cubic metres of gas in the Black Sea. The discovery could help significantly decrease Turkey's dependency on imports.

What will this mean for the country's energy security moving forward?

Turkey’s latest discovery of more natural gas reserves in the Black Sea could lessen the country’s dependency on energy imports. The reserves are expected to produce between 15 and 20 billion cubic metres every year. If those numbers are reached, they could help slash Turkey's budget deficit significantly. What will this mean for Turkey’s energy security moving forward?

Guests:

Sohbet Karbuz

Senior Non-Resident Fellow at Bilkent University

Sara Vakhshouri

President of SVB Energy International

Ebrahim Raisi, Iran’s hard-line judiciary chief, is set to take office in August. For the first time in eight years the country will have a staunchly conservative president. However, the legitimacy of his landslide victory is under scrutiny. And many challenges lie ahead. Raisi has on his hands an ailing economy made worse by US sanctions and the Coronavirus pandemic. And will he be able to return to the 2015 nuclear deal and keep his promise of fighting poverty, corruption and discrimination in the country?

Guests:

Mohammad Marandi

Professor at Tehran University

Borzou Daragahi

Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council

The first NATO summit since the pandemic struck in 2020 wrapped up on June 14. All eyes were on disputing members of the alliance, particularly Turkey and the US. It was the first face-to-face meeting between President Erdogan and President Biden since the latter took office. While no clear breakthroughs were made, the friendly atmosphere did send a message - that the alliance is key to both the countries, and NATO as a whole. So will this summit mark the beginning of a new era for the two countries?

Guests:

Tarik Oguzlu

Professor at Antalya Bilim University

Matthew Bryza

Former US Ambassador

Sean Michael Cox

Senior Adviser at the Global Policy Institute

Turkey is aiming to significantly expand its rail infrastructure by 2023, as it looks to dominate the so-called Iron Silk Road from China to Europe. So what plans does the country have in order to establish itself as a major corridor for international freight?

Guests:

Murat Karatekin

CEO of Pasifik Eurasia

Maurizio Zanardi

Head of the School of Economics at the University of Surrey

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears to be in the final days of his 12-year rule. But how will the new fragile coalition government differ from Netnayahu’s hardline policies? And will it make any difference to the Palestinians?

Guests:

Asa Winstanley

Investigative Journalist at the Electronic Intifada

Mouin Rabbani

Co-Editor at Jadaliyya, an online magazine

In a bid to become a polar power, Turkey’s interest the Arctic and Antarctica has grown in the past five years. Turkey acceded to the Antarctic Treaty in 1996 and currently holds observer status. It now wants to be part of the Arctic Council. What is being done to achieve this new goal?

Guests:

Burcu Ozsoy

Director of Turkey's Polar Research Institute

Klaus Dodds

Professor at Royal Holloway, University of London

The upcoming NATO summit in mid-June is where Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will hold separate meetings with US President Joe Biden and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. But with Turkey’s relations with the two countries strained, will the meetings result in a way forward?

Guests:

Hakan Akbas

Senior Adviser at Albright Stonebridge Group

Luke Coffey

Allison Center For Foreign Policy Studies Director