Soli Özel

Soli Özel, a Istanbul-based professor of international relations and columnist, offers a blunt take on the Iran crisis. He questions why war was chosen over diplomacy. He explains Iran’s unexpected resilience, the shifting Gulf security balance, and how Russia and China gain while U.S. influence wanes. He also discusses regional mediation efforts and the risks of wider military involvement.

Soli Özel, a political commentator from Istanbul with expertise in Turkish geopolitics, delves into the shifting multipolar world and Turkey's emerging role as a middle power. He discusses how managing vulnerabilities will be crucial for global influence, contrasts America's self-image with its current foreign policy, and critiques performative diplomacy during turbulent times. Özel also evaluates the prospects for peace in Ukraine and the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, offering insights into what 2026 might hold for global stability.

On Sunday, May 28, Turkey held a bitterly contested run-off election, with incumbent presidential candidate Recep Tayyip Erdoğan winning reelection against opposition candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. Lawfare Legal Fellow Saraphin Dhanani sat down with Soli Özel, Senior Lecturer at Kadir Has University in Istanbul and a columnist at Habertürk daily newspaper, to discuss what was at stake in this election and the future of Turkey as Erdoğan’s next five-year term marks his 25th year in higher office.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.