Recap radio

Author and journalist Kaya Genç joins Turkey recap editor Diego Cupolo to talk about what it means to report and write about Turkey in 2026 amid the latest wave of repression on government opponents, cultural figures and free speech, in general. The discussion covers censorship and the ethical quandaries reporters must navigate to perform their jobs. Genç also reflects on the responsibility of int...

To kick off the new year, Özgür Ünlühisarcıklı , the US German Marshall Fund’s managing director of south and wider Europe as well as regional director for Turkey, joined Turkey recap editor Diego Cupolo to discuss Turkey’s foreign policy in 2026. The talk starts with Turkey-Venezuela relations in the aftermath of the US capture of Venezuelan Pres. Nicolás Maduro, and then moves counterclockwise a...

Daria Isachenko , an associate at the Centre for Applied Turkey Studies in the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, joined Turkey recap editor Diego Cupolo to discuss Ankara’s growing political and commercial ties with Central Asia. The talk covers initial outreach efforts in the 1990s, in which Turkey was seen as a “door opener” for Europe to regional actors, such as Kazakhsta...

Karolina Wanda Olszowska , president and co-founder of the Institute for Turkey Studies, and Karol Wasilewski , head of the Turkey, Caucasus and Central Asia Department at the Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW), joined Turkey recap editor Diego Cupolo to outline Russian disinformation strategies in Turkish media. The talk comes as EU leaders meet to discuss the future of the Ukraine-Russia war and f...

László Szerencsés , a postdoctoral researcher at the Stockholm University Institute for Turkish Studies (SUITS), joined Turkey recap editor Diego Cupolo to review the state of Turkey-Hungary ties. The conversation comes after Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán met with Turkish Pres. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Istanbul Monday , Dec. 8. We cover the basis of bilateral ties, from pragmatic energy connectivity to...

Can Selçuki, an economist and director of Research Istanbul , joined Turkey recap editor Diego Cupolo to discuss Turkey’s economic standing after more than two years of reforms under Finance Min. Mehmet Şimşek. Selçuki also outlined Turkey’s trade relations with European and Asian nations, its competitive advantages against other middle-income nations and the challenges posed by its education syst...

James Jeffrey , former US ambassador to Turkey, Iraq, Albania and former US special representative for Syria engagement, joined Turkey recap editor Diego Cupolo to discuss Syrian Pres. Ahmed al-Sharaa’s visit to Washington on Monday, Nov. 10. Jeffrey reviewed US policy in Syria, including a potential US military presence in Damascus and how Washington views the integration of SDF forces with the c...

Sinem Adar , an associate at the Center for Applied Turkey Studies (CATS Network) in the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), joined Turkey recap’s Diego Cupolo to discuss the Turkey-PKK peace process. Adar outlined recent steps taken by Kurdish militants to disarm and withdraw from Turkey as members of the parliamentary peace commission consider a meeting with PKK leader...

Fiona Mullen, director of Sapienta Economics , joined Turkey recap editor Diego Cupolo, to discuss the elections in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and what they mean for Cyprus, Turkey and the eastern Mediterranean. Mullen broke down the dynamics that led to a landslide victory for the new, pro-EU TRNC Pres. Tufan Erhürman over the Ankara-backed incumbent Ersin Tatar. She also weig...

Joining Recap radio today is Soner Çağaptay , a senior fellow at The Washington Institute and author of many books on modern Turkey, including “A Sultan in Autumn: Erdogan Faces Turkey’s Uncontainable Forces” – available here . Çağaptay outlined the shift in US-Turkey ties under the Trump administration, which appears to be viewing Ankara as an increasingly valuable partner for achieving US policy...

Prof. Dr. Seda Demiralp joined Turkey recap editor Diego Cupolo to discuss the state of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) amid mounting corruption investigations – which many citizens view as politicized judicial pressure. Demiralp comments on the looming investigation into CHP Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş, a potential presidential contender as the opposition frontrunner, Istan...

Zaur Shiriyev , a nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, joined Turkey recap editor Diego Cupolo to discuss the Azerbaijan-Armenia peace process. Shiriyev outlined the current state of negotiations as well as implications for Turkey, the Zangezur transit corridor and what’s at stake for Russia, Iran, Central Asian nations and the European Union. Israel-Azerbaijan relations were...

Joining Recap radio this week is Burak Bilgehan Özpek , a professor of political science at TOBB University of Economics and Technology and long-time political commentator for the online publication, Daktilo1984 . Together with Turkey recap editor Diego Cupolo, Özpek shared his views on why the PKK peace process might collapse, potential faults in the AKP-MHP ruling alliance and succession debates...

Arife Köse , a PhD researcher at the University of East Anglia, joined Turkey recap editor Diego Cupolo to discuss the crackdown on Turkey's opposition, the Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) response and what comes next. They covered the CHP’s extraordinary congress on Sept. 21 and CHP Chair Özgür Özel’s mandate in the face of ongoing judicial pressure that has seen hundreds of party members inves...

Wolfango Piccoli , co-president of political risk advisory services at Teneo, joined Turkey recap editor Diego Cupolo to discuss Turkey’s economy, how markets approach political risk and what the government is doing (or not) to stem years of high inflation. Piccoli covered investor sentiments towards Turkey, the implications of the ongoing crackdown on the main opposition Republican People’s Party...

Gönül Tol , director of the Turkey Program at the Middle East Institute, joined Turkey recap editor Diego Cupolo to discuss Turkey’s democratic backsliding, the PKK peace process and Ankara’s Syria policy. This podcast was recorded shortly after a court-appointed trustee took over the leadership of the main opposition Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) Istanbul provincial headquarters amid wide-spa...

Neslihan Çevik , a sociologist, former politician, consultant and non-resident fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia, joined Turkey recap editor Diego Cupolo to discuss falling fertility rates in Turkey. Çevik expanded on the ideas she outlined in a recent commentary for the National News, titled “This is what the Muslim world needs to do to boost it...

Long-time journalist Andrew Finkel joined Turkey recap editor Diego Cupolo to discuss media culture and media capture in Turkey under the Pres. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Having contributed to both international and Turkish media outlets, Finkel has a unique perspective on news in Turkey. He witnessed the transformation of mainstream media from the 1990s till the present day, in which about 90 percent...

Mohammed A. Salih , a non-resident senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute and analyst of Kurdish affairs, joined Turkey recap editor-in-chief Diego Cupolo to discuss developments in Syria and how they may factor into the Turkey-PKK peace process. Salih covered recent clashes in southern Syria between Bedouin and Druze groups, which left more than 1,400 dead. He also discussed how r...

Independent researcher Nareg Seferian joined Turkey recap editor-in-chief Diego Cupolo to discuss Armenia-Azerbaijan peace talks and their implications for the region. They covered the July 10 meeting between Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani Pres. Ilham Aliyev in Abu Dhabi and their efforts to finalize a peace agreement in the aftermath of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War. The peace talks...

Turkey recap editor-in-chief Diego Cupolo spoke with Lisel Hintz, assistant professor of International Relations at Johns Hopkins University SAIS and author of the book : “Identity Politics Inside Out: National Identity Contestation and Foreign Policy in Turkey.” They discussed how narratives in pro-government media aim to create cultural and political hegemony in Turkey under Pres. Recep Tayyip E...

Today, Turkey recap editor-in-chief Diego Cupolo spoke with Gallia Lindenstrauss, a senior research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies, an independent think tank affiliated with Tel Aviv University in Israel. They discussed Israel-Turkey relations through the lens of the Israel-Iran war, developments in Syria, the PKK peace process, the Gaza war, Hamas and more. In addition, the...

Today, we spoke with Aaron Stein , president of the US-based Foreign Policy Research Institute and author of the book : “US War Against ISIS: How America and its Allies Defeated the Caliphate”. Topics covered include Iran, Israel, the US and Turkey’s place in the conflict now unfolding on NATO’s eastern border. We also discussed the potential implications of the Syria transition and the Turkey-PKK...

Here’s our live webcast with Berk Esen, an associate professor of political science at Sabancı University in İstanbul and co-author of the book, Türkiye'nin Yeni Rejimi: Rekabetçi Otoriterlik . We discussed the mounting trials faced by Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), including investigations against imprisoned Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu, who faces a political ban for c...

Watch our live webcast with Alexander McKeever, a researcher based in Amman, Jordan, and author of the newsletter This Week in Northern Syria . We discussed developments in Syria six months after regime change and took questions from the audience. Topics covered include SDF-Damascus negotiations, domestic security, repatriation and internal migration, impacts of the Turkey-PKK peace process and th...