Erdogan's absurd claims that Israel wants to target Turkey

10/18/24 • 12 min

Earlier this month Erdogan made a wild accusation that Israel was planning to wage war on, or target, Turkey. While these absurd claims are mainly seen as an effort by the Turkish President to appease his Islamist base and distract from the country’s economic troubles, there is concern that to ignore such statements encourages further incitement. Alan Makovsky, a senior fellow for the Center for American Progress and a former senior staffer with responsibility for Turkey on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, joins Thanos Davelis to break down why Erdogan’s claims, if left unchecked, risk stoking more hatred in Turkey and the region.

In our discussion we also look into the Turkey-Hamas connection. This conversation was recorded before the news about the killing of Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader who was an architect of the October 7 attacks.

You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:

Erdogan accuses Israel of wanting to wage war on Turkey despite robust trade ties

EU leaders set course for tougher policy to send back irregular migrants

Greece, Ukraine sign security agreement in Brussels

You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:

Erdogan accuses Israel of wanting to wage war on Turkey despite robust trade ties

EU leaders set course for tougher policy to send back irregular migrants

Greece, Ukraine sign security agreement in Brussels

Previous Episode

SYRIZA's internal struggles and PASOK's new opportunity

With the exclusion of former party head Stefanos Kasselakis from its leadership election, it looks like SYRIZA is plunging into fresh turmoil. With the party effectively leaderless and consumed by internal struggles for the coming weeks, many see this as an opportunity for PASOK - which just wrapped up its own leadership elections - to state its case to be considered the main opposition party. Nick Malkoutzis, the co-founder of Macropolis.gr, joins Thanos Davelis to discuss the latest crisis within SYRIZA and look at what to keep an eye on as PASOK shifts gears following its leadership race.

You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:

Androulakis reaffirmed as PASOK leader, ending talk of centre-left alliance

Kasselakis criticizes SYRIZA central committee’s decision to disqualify him from leadership race

PM pushing for EU action on migration in Brussels

Ankara hardens stance before Athens talks

Next Episode

Has migration become Europe's song that never ends?

Migration was - once again - at the heart of discussions at the latest EU leaders summit, as the issue has been taking on new dimensions across the continent. This renewed focus on migration comes after the far-right made gains in the European Parliament, in various elections in Germany and Austria, and follows the opening of Italy’s controversial offshore detention centers in Albania. Angeliki Dimitriadi, a Senior Research Fellow and Head of the Migration Program at the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP), joins Thanos Davelis to explore how migration is once again challenging EU leaders, and break down what the path forward looks like.

Given the political landscape in Europe right now, how do you see this issue evolving?

Von der Leyen promises more deportations as EU veers right on migration

Greece sceptical about EU outsourcing asylum seekers

EU seeks to accelerate return of migrants

Albania says only Italy is allowed to operate migrant asylum centers in the country

Italy’s offshore detention centers in Albania open for business

Erdoğan’s arch enemy Fethullah Gülen dies, reports say

Pyatt underscores Greece’s leadership role in energy security