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Donald Trump’s re-election was welcomed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who congratulated him and invited him to visit Turkey. Erdoğan may hope that a Trump administration will focus more on dealmaking than criticizing Turkey’s domestic policies. Ankara also recalls Trump’s willingness to withdraw from Syria, where the U.S. partners with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which includes factions linked to the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK)—Turkey’s primary adversary.
However, the recent takeover of Damascus by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), allegedly with Turkey’s tacit approval, and end of the Assad regime will shift dynamics. Meanwhile, Trump’s new cabinet and their strongly pro-Israel stance may conflict with Turkey’s growing ties to Hamas and its severed relations with Israel. How will the evolving dynamics in Syria and Turkey’s shifting alliances with groups like Hamas impact U.S.-Turkey relations under a second Trump administration?
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Join us for a timely and important discussion with:
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Steven Simon
Steven Simon is a senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute and distinguished fellow and visiting professor at Dartmouth College. From 2011-2012, he served on the National Security Council staff as senior director for Middle Eastern and North African affairs. He also worked on the NSC staff,1994 – 1999, on counterterrorism and Middle East security policy.
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Kadir Ustun
Kadir Ustun is the executive director of the SETA Foundation in Washington, DC. He holds a PhD in Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies from Columbia University and an MA in History from Bilkent University. His work has been published in Insight Turkey, Al Jazeera English, Cairo Review of Global Affairs, Al-Monitor, and Politico.
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Gönül Tol
Gönül Tol is the founding director of the Middle East Institute’s Turkey Program and a senior fellow with the Black Sea Program. She is the author of "Erdogan's War: A Strongman's Struggle at Home and in Syria". Tol has taught at George Washington University’s Institute for Middle East Studies and the College of International Security Affairs at the National Defense University.
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Colonel Rich Outzen
Colonel Rich Outzen (Ret.) is a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council in Turkey and a geopolitical analyst and consultant. From 2016 to 2021, he served as a military and civilian advisor at the U.S. Department of State, working in the Policy Planning Office and the Office of the Special Representative for Syria.
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Adam Weinstein (Moderator)
Adam Weinstein is deputy director of the Middle East Program at the Quincy Institute. He previously worked for KPMG’s international trade practice. Adam’s current research focuses on security, trade, and rule of law in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Middle East. He has conducted extensive research travel in Pakistan, Iraq, and the greater Middle East.
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