The war in Syria, Iraq and the dreadful humanitarian situation due to the influx of refugees from the broader Middle East are the challenges that Turkey is facing today. The EU and other international powers promote political stability in the country because of their fear of a spillover of the crisis. This is done despite the recent growing authoritarian tendency of the Turkish government and the repression against civil society. While stability is needed for a country and a society to flourish, what is the price that the international community and Turkish society are willing to pay for it?
This one-day international seminar brings together experts and academics to reflect upon the most recent developments in Turkey’s domestic politics, examining issues from the increasing authoritarian tendency of the government to Kurdish nationalism, and in international and regional politics, ranging from the role of the EU and the EU-Turkey deal on migration to the geopolitics of the current crisis in the broader Middle East. Speakers and participants will reflect on the ethical and political challenge that “bringing stability and peace to the Middle East” generate, exploring the contested meaning of these two key-terms when considered from opposing perspectives.
Please reserve a seat here (max room capacity 35 people)
Location
Room AG01, Albert College, Dublin City University, Glasnevin
Programme
930-1000 Opening, Prof John Doyle, IICRR Director – Coffee and tea provided
1000-1200 The price of stability. Domestic Aspects
Chair: Dr Ken McDonagh, DCU
Shrinking space for dissent. Social movements and the securitization of the public sphere, Dr Halil Ibrahim Yenigun (EUME, Berlin)
Turkey and the challenge of Kurdish nationalism, Dr Latif Tas (SOAS, London)
State-society relations and the “deep state”, Prof Esra Ozyurek (LSE, London)
Lunch (provided) and video projection
1330-1530 Stabilizers and Destabilizers. Regional and International Aspects
Chair: Dr Gëzim Visoka, DCU
Migration, EU-Turkey relations and the effect on the broader Middle East, Dr Elisa Pascucci (Tampere University, Finland)
That thin line. Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran and the quest for regional hegemony, Dr Vincent Durac (University College of Dublin)
Online political violence and regional controversies, Lisa McInerney (VOX-Pol, DCU)
1530-1600 Concluding remarks, Dr Paola Rivetti, DCU – Coffee and tea provided