This article is part of a collection of short essays written by the Fellows of the Middle East Institute to explore aspects of the ongoing war with Iran. The intent of the collection is to help readers see new and unexpected elements of the dynamics and impact of the ongoing hostilities and to think harder, deeper, and broader about the implications of the conflict.
Turkey: Ankara’s Nuclear Ambitions in the Post-Iran War Environment
In February 2026, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan suggested that shifting international dynamics could push Turkey to acquire nuclear weapons. That rhetoric, combined with Turkey’s civilian nuclear energy and research programs and its indigenous surface-to-surface missile development projects, has fueled concerns that these capabilities could eventually form the backbone of a Turkish nuclear weapons program.
When the US and Israel launched military action against Iran on February 28, 2026, it set in motion a chain of events that saw violence spread across the Middle East. Yet as the region found itself engulfed in conflict, Syria has experienced its most peaceful months in 15 years, and the government in Damascus appears determined to stay its course toward recovery.
Panel 3: Is a Turkey-PKK Peace Deal Finally Possible? – MEI's 4th Annual Conference on Turkey
The Middle East Institute Center for Turkish Studies’ Fourth Annual Conference on TurkeyPanel 3: Is a Turkey-PKK Peace Deal Finally Possible?Ayse Betül Çelik, Sabanci UniversityChristopher Harmon, Marine Corps UniversityAliza Marcus, Author and JournalistModerator: Anna Gawel, Washington DiplomatJune 14, 2013 2:00pm-3:15pm
Panel 3: Is a Turkey-PKK Peace Deal Finally Possible? – MEI's 4th Annual Conference on Turkey
The Middle East Institute Center for Turkish Studies’ Fourth Annual Conference on TurkeyPanel 3: Is a Turkey-PKK Peace Deal Finally Possible?Ayse Betül Çelik, Sabanci UniversityChristopher Harmon, Marine Corps UniversityAliza Marcus, Author and JournalistModerator: Anna Gawel, Washington DiplomatJune 14, 2013 2:00pm-3:15pm
The Middle East Institute Center for Turkish Studies’ Fourth Annual Conference on TurkeyKeynote Address:Besir Atalay, Deputy Prime Minister of TurkeyJune 14, 2013 1:00pm-1:45 pmNote: The first audio file is the full keynote address, the second audio file is the keynote with English tranlation (file is missing the first 8 minutes of the speech).
The Middle East Institute Center for Turkish Studies’ Fourth Annual Conference on TurkeyKeynote Address:Besir Atalay, Deputy Prime Minister of TurkeyJune 14, 2013 1:00pm-1:45 pmNote: The first audio file is the full keynote address, the second audio file is the keynote with English tranlation (file is missing the first 8 minutes of the speech).
The Middle East Institute Center for Turkish Studies’ Fourth Annual Conference on TurkeyKeynote Address:Besir Atalay, Deputy Prime Minister of TurkeyJune 14, 2013 1:00pm-1:45 pmNote: The first audio file is the full keynote address, the second audio file is the keynote with English tranlation (file is missing the first 8 minutes of the speech).
The Middle East Institute Center for Turkish Studies’ Fourth Annual Conference on TurkeyKeynote Address:Besir Atalay, Deputy Prime Minister of TurkeyJune 14, 2013 1:00pm-1:45 pmNote: The first audio file is the full keynote address, the second audio file is the keynote with English tranlation (file is missing the first 8 minutes of the speech).
Panel 2: Debating Turkish Foreign Policy in a Changing Global and Regional System – MEI's 4th Annual Conference on Turkey
The Middle East Institute Center for Turkish Studies’ Fourth Annual Conference on TurkeyPanel 2: Debating Turkish Foreign Policy in a Changing Global and Regional SystemBülent Aras, Turkish Foreign Ministry`s Center for Strategic ResearchŞaban Kardaş, TOBB University of Economics and TechnologyMesut Özcan, Turkish Foreign Ministry`s Center for Strategic ResearchModerator: Tolga Tanış, HürriyetJune 14, 2013 12:00pm-1:00pm
Panel 2: Debating Turkish Foreign Policy in a Changing Global and Regional System – MEI's 4th Annual Conference on Turkey
The Middle East Institute Center for Turkish Studies’ Fourth Annual Conference on TurkeyPanel 2: Debating Turkish Foreign Policy in a Changing Global and Regional SystemBülent Aras, Turkish Foreign Ministry`s Center for Strategic ResearchŞaban Kardaş, TOBB University of Economics and TechnologyMesut Özcan, Turkish Foreign Ministry`s Center for Strategic ResearchModerator: Tolga Tanış, HürriyetJune 14, 2013 12:00pm-1:00pm
Panel 2: Debating Turkish Foreign Policy in a Changing Global and Regional System – MEI's 4th Annual Conference on Turkey
The Middle East Institute Center for Turkish Studies’ Fourth Annual Conference on TurkeyPanel 2: Debating Turkish Foreign Policy in a Changing Global and Regional SystemBülent Aras, Turkish Foreign Ministry`s Center for Strategic ResearchŞaban Kardaş, TOBB University of Economics and TechnologyMesut Özcan, Turkish Foreign Ministry`s Center for Strategic ResearchModerator: Tolga Tanış, HürriyetJune 14, 2013 12:00pm-1:00pm
Panel 2: Debating Turkish Foreign Policy in a Changing Global and Regional System – MEI's 4th Annual Conference on Turkey
The Middle East Institute Center for Turkish Studies’ Fourth Annual Conference on TurkeyPanel 2: Debating Turkish Foreign Policy in a Changing Global and Regional SystemBülent Aras, Turkish Foreign Ministry`s Center for Strategic ResearchŞaban Kardaş, TOBB University of Economics and TechnologyMesut Özcan, Turkish Foreign Ministry`s Center for Strategic ResearchModerator: Tolga Tanış, HürriyetJune 14, 2013 12:00pm-1:00pm
Panel 2: Debating Turkish Foreign Policy in a Changing Global and Regional System – MEI's 4th Annual Conference on Turkey
The Middle East Institute Center for Turkish Studies’ Fourth Annual Conference on TurkeyPanel 2: Debating Turkish Foreign Policy in a Changing Global and Regional SystemBülent Aras, Turkish Foreign Ministry`s Center for Strategic ResearchŞaban Kardaş, TOBB University of Economics and TechnologyMesut Özcan, Turkish Foreign Ministry`s Center for Strategic ResearchModerator: Tolga Tanış, HürriyetJune 14, 2013 12:00pm-1:00pm
Panel 1: Crisis in Syria: Can Turkey Rise to the Challenge? – MEI's 4th Annual Conference on Turkey
The Middle East Institute Center for Turkish Studies’ Fourth Annual Conference on TurkeyPanel 1: Crisis in Syria: Can Turkey Rise to the Challenge?Volkan Bozkir, Grand National Assembly of TurkeySteve Heydemann, United States Institute of PeaceAnne Richard, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, U.S. Department of StateModerator: Robert Worth, New York TimesJune 14, 2013, 10:00am-11:30 am
Panel 1: Crisis in Syria: Can Turkey Rise to the Challenge? – MEI's 4th Annual Conference on Turkey
The Middle East Institute Center for Turkish Studies’ Fourth Annual Conference on TurkeyPanel 1: Crisis in Syria: Can Turkey Rise to the Challenge?Volkan Bozkir, Grand National Assembly of TurkeySteve Heydemann, United States Institute of PeaceAnne Richard, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, U.S. Department of StateModerator: Robert Worth, New York TimesJune 14, 2013, 10:00am-11:30 am
Panel 1: Crisis in Syria: Can Turkey Rise to the Challenge? – MEI's 4th Annual Conference on Turkey
The Middle East Institute Center for Turkish Studies’ Fourth Annual Conference on TurkeyPanel 1: Crisis in Syria: Can Turkey Rise to the Challenge?Volkan Bozkir, Grand National Assembly of TurkeySteve Heydemann, United States Institute of PeaceAnne Richard, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, U.S. Department of StateModerator: Robert Worth, New York TimesJune 14, 2013, 10:00am-11:30 am
Panel 1: Crisis in Syria: Can Turkey Rise to the Challenge? – MEI's 4th Annual Conference on Turkey
The Middle East Institute Center for Turkish Studies’ Fourth Annual Conference on TurkeyPanel 1: Crisis in Syria: Can Turkey Rise to the Challenge?Volkan Bozkir, Grand National Assembly of TurkeySteve Heydemann, United States Institute of PeaceAnne Richard, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, U.S. Department of StateModerator: Robert Worth, New York TimesJune 14, 2013, 10:00am-11:30 am
The oldest peer-reviewed publication dedicated to the study of the modern Middle East, MEI’s flagship journal covers politics, society, and culture in the region.
