NEW JERSEY

Changing Lanes: Turkey and the Crisis in the Middle East

Sponsored by Center for Civic Leadership and Responsibility (Camden County College) and the Middle East Center (University of Pennsylvania)

Presenter: Dr. Mehmet Darakcioglu, Associate Director, University of Pennsylvania’s Middle East Center
Location: Civic Hall, Connector Building, Blackwood Campus, Camden County College

Mehmet Darakcioglu, Associate Director of the University of Penn’s Middle East Center, will discuss how the Republic of Turkey, founded after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I, adopted a cautious approach in its foreign policy to steer clear of regional or global conflicts. Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, summarized this policy in his famous quote as: “peace at home, peace in the world.” Though one can debate how successful Turkey was in living up to this ideal, it has adopted a non-interventionist foreign policy with some exceptions and aligned with the Western world as a NATO member since the beginning of the Cold War. Turkey began to follow a more proactive foreign policy under the ruling Justice and Development Party (JDP) in the past decade and took a keen interest in the affairs of the Arab Middle East. Though Turkey’s projection of soft power initially yielded successful results the country finds itself embroiled in serious regional problems related to Syria and to the rise of ISIS. This talk will analyze how Turkish foreign policy continues to evolve in the face of the continuing crisis in the Middle East.

Apart from the ongoing academic lectures and programs at the Middle East Center, this six-part lecture series at the Camden County College is part of Center’s community college outreach initiatives. Our past programs with the Camden County College included topics such as arts, history, culture, and religion in the Middle East.

It is free and open to public. NJ Professional Development Credits (CEU) are available for educators.