"Is Erdogan’s Turkey Becoming Iran 2.0?" with Abdullah Bozkurt

Description

As Turkey positions itself as a NATO ally while deepening ties with Iran and Islamist movements, Western policymakers face a growing strategic contradiction.

In this episode of the Middle East Forum Podcast, Lauri Regan speaks with Abdullah Bozkurt, a Swedish-based investigative journalist and analyst, about Turkey’s transformation under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and whether Ankara has effectively become “Iran 2.0” in the region. Bozkurt draws on confidential judicial investigations to explain how figures once linked to Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps operations now occupy senior positions in Turkey’s intelligence, foreign policy, and education systems.

He examines Turkey’s growing alignment with Iran and Hamas, including the presence of Hamas operatives inside Turkey, fundraising networks operating through Turkish financial institutions, and Ankara’s tolerance of sanctioned actors. The discussion also explores how anti-Israel and antisemitic narratives have become embedded in Turkish state institutions and public education.

Bozkurt assesses what this shift means for NATO, Israel, and regional stability, arguing that the ideological transformation of the Turkish state may outlast Erdoğan himself. In the audience Q&A, he addresses Turkey’s democratic collapse, the imprisonment of political rivals, brain drain, NATO membership, and the risks posed by Turkey’s evolving foreign policy.

Speaker:
Abdullah Bozkurt, Investigative Journalist and Analyst

Host:
Lauri Regan, Middle East Forum

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