The Event Summary can be found here  

July 9, 2020

12:00pm –1:00pm

Zoom Webinar

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Turkey’s involvement in Libya over the past several months has been decisive in changing the balance of power on the ground. While a potential takeover of the Government of National Accord by Haftar’s forces happened toward the end of 2019, Turkish support to the UN-recognized government in Tripoli dramatically changed the course of the conflict. As a proxy struggle plays out between regional powers including diametrically opposed European positions, Turkey’s Libya policy has been a major subject of discussion. As there appears to be no international consensus on Libya, Turkey seems to be marching forward with deepening its relationship with the North African country. What is the guiding principle of Turkish policy in Libya? What are some of the shared interests between the two countries? What is the Turkish view on how to arrive at a resolution of the conflict in Libya? To discuss these questions and analyze Turkish policy in Libya, SETA DC is pleased to host an expert panel discussion.

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Speakers Talha Kose, Chair, Political Science and International Relations Department, Ibn Haldun University Murat Yesiltas, Director, Security Studies Program, The SETA Foundation Moderated by Kadir Ustun, Executive Director, The SETA Foundation at Washington DC Bios Talha Köse is the chair and an Associate Professor of Political Science at Ibn Haldun University. Köse has a BA degree from Political Science and International Relations Department of Boğaziçi University (2000) and MA degree from Conflict Analysis and Resolution Program of Sabancı University (2002). Dr. Köse completed his doctoral studies at the School of Conflict Analysis and Resolution (SCAR)-George Mason University in January 2010. His doctoral research focuses on the transformation of Alevi identity within the post-1980 milieu of Turkey. Before joining Ibn Haldun University Köse worked as an Assistant Professor and Chair of Political Science and International Relations department at Istanbul Şehir University. Köse worked as a visiting professor at George Mason University and University Maastricht (Netherlands). Dr. Köse’s research focuses on ethnic, sectarian and religions conflicts and political violence in the Middle East and Conflict Resolution approaches in foreign policy. Köse is an expert in peace processes, Alevi identity and non-coercive approaches in Turkish Foreign Policy. Murat Yeşiltaş has completed his BA and MA at the Department of International Relations of Sakarya University, in 2003 and 2009, respectively. He earned his PhD at the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Marmara University in 2012 with the thesis titled “Locating Turkey: Geopolitical Mentality and the Army in Turkey.” Yeşiltaş was a visiting researcher at the Department of European Studies and International Politics of Lancaster University between 2008 and 2009. He was a visiting researcher at Virginia Tech’s Institute of Government and International Relations in 2010-2011. Currently, Yeşiltaş is an Assoc. Professor in the Middle East Institute at Sakarya University. He also holds the position of director of security studies at SETA Foundation, Ankara, Turkey. Kadir Ustun is the Executive Director at the SETA Foundation at Washington, D.C. Previously, Dr. Ustun was the Research Director at SETA DC and Assistant Editor of Insight Turkey. Dr. Ustun holds a PhD in Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies from Columbia University and a Master’s degree in History from Bilkent University. He has contributed to various SETA reports and his writings have appeared in various publications such as Insight Turkey, Al Jazeera English, Hurriyet Daily News, Daily Sabah, Mediterranean Quarterly, and Cairo Review of Global Affairs among others. He is also co-editor of edited volumes History, Politics and Foreign Policy in Turkey, Change and Adaptation in Turkish Foreign Policy, and Politics and Foreign Policy in Turkey: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives