A Turkish court has sentenced Istanbul’s popular mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu - who could potentially face off against Erdogan in the upcoming elections - to more than two years in prison and barred him from politics. This has been described as a “major setback for democracy” in Turkey as the country prepares for elections next year. It also follows a trend of democratic backsliding that has seen the Erdogan regime use the courts to sideline or silence key opposition figures and journalists. Howard Eissenstat, an Associate Professor of Middle East history at St. Lawrence University and a Turkey expert, joins Thanos Davelis to discuss this development, look at what it means for the upcoming elections in Turkey, and break down how it could impact US-Turkey relations.

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

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