The Cold War in the Middle East or the Middle East in the Cold War?

5 April 2021 – in the third event in the Global Middle East Seminar Series, co-organized with the Wilson Center, Lorenz Lüthi joined us to discuss his book, Cold Wars: Asia, The Middle East, Europe  (Cambridge, 2020). Lüthi was joined by Guy Laron, Alexander Shelby, and Eliza Gheorghe to discuss the parts of his book that

The History of Nuclear Politics in the Middle East

4 March 2021 – In the second event of the Global Middle East Seminar Series, Mahsa Rouhi and Hassan Elbahtimy led a panel on the history of nuclear politics in the Middle East, focusing on Iran and Egypt. They were joined by discussants Or Rabinowitz and Eliza Gheorghe. A recording of the event is available for

Diplomacy, Discord, and Turkish Politics Since World War II

11 February 2021 – At the first event of the Global Middle East Seminar Series, Suzy Hansen and James Ryan joined Onur İşçi to talk about his recently published book Turkey and the Soviet Union during the Second World War: Diplomacy, Discord and International Relations (I.B. Tauris: 2019). The event can be viewed here.  

Andrei Fursov on Capitalism

23 October 2019 – Dr. Andrei Il’ich Fursov of Moscow State University delivered a lecture: “Capitalism: Terminal Crisis of the Most Enigmatic Social System.”  

Conference: New Middle East Sources

17 October 2019 – the Bilkent Center for Russian Studies hosted a conference on the Cold War in the Middle East, organized together with the Wilson Center’s History and Public Policy Program. Prominent academics from Iraq, Israel, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States spoke over the course of the day on subjects ranging

Turkey and the New Cold War

20 May – Journalist Murat Yetkin visited CRS and delivered a talk (in Turkish) titled “Turkey and the New Cold War.” Mr. Yetkin has written several books on espionage and began his talk with intelligence stories that emphasized Turkey’s entanglement in the complexities of the first Cold War. Mr. Yetkin went on to reflect on

Russia and Turkey: Lessons from the Past Century

13-14 May 2019 – Over the course of two days, CRS hosted a conference titled “Russia and Turkey: Lessons from the Past Century.” The event was co-organized with Tarih Vakfı as part of a number of events which included a lecture series in İstanbul in March and April that also explored the interconnected history of

US Policy and Uighurs

25 April 2019 – Mr. Scott Weinhold, acting deputy chief of mission of the US Embassy in Ankara, delivered a talk on US policy and Uighurs. Mr Weinhold arrived in Ankara in 2017 after several postings in Asia – including Beijing, Tokyo, and Ho Chi Minh City. In his talk, Mr. Weinhold highlighted Turkey’s critical

“Türkiye’nin Kalbi Ankara”

28 March 2019 – As part of the seminar series that CRS jointly organized with Tarih Vakfı on the intersecting histories of the Soviet Union and the Turkish Republic in the interwar period, Sam Hirst delivered the second talk (in Turkish), “The Heart of Turkey – Ankara: The Anti-Imperialism of Soviet-Turkish Cultural Relations.” In this talk, he

“Realpolitiğin Ötesinde”

14 March 2019 – CRS director Onur İşçi delivered a lecture in İstanbul, “Beyond Realpolitik: Strategic and Economic Aspects of Soviet-Turkish Friendship.” The talk was the first in a series of lectures, co-organized by CRS and Tarih Vakfı, devoted to the intersecting histories of the Turkish Republic and the Soviet Union in the interwar period.