The CATR Podcast

Episode 5: Aslı Aydıntaşbaş on the Iran Conflict and Türkiye's Strategic Dilemma

In this episode, CATR’s Lead Analyst Baran Atilmis speaks with Aslı Aydıntaşbaş, fellow at the Brookings Institution and director of the Turkey Project, on the evolving dynamics of Turkish–Iranian relations amid the ongoing conflict in Iran. They explore the historical foundations of the Ankara–Tehran relationship, Türkiye's growing regional influence across Syria, Iraq and the Caucasus, and how recent US and Israeli strikes on Iran are reshaping Ankara’s strategic calculations. The conversation also examines Türkiye's concerns over regional instability, the Kurdish question and the risk of wider spillover, as well as what the current crisis reveals about Türkiye's position within NATO and its broader foreign policy trajectory.

Episode 4: Dr Barın Kayaoğlu on the Rapid Rise of Turkiye's Defence Sector

In this episode, CATR’s Lead Analyst Baran Atilmis speaks with Dr Barın Kayaoğlu, historian and expert on Turkish foreign and security policy, about the rise of Türkiye’s defence sector. They examine the historical turning points that shaped Ankara’s drive for defence industrial self-sufficiency, from the 1974 Cyprus intervention and subsequent US arms embargo to more recent tensions with Western partners.