Turkey and Russia – A Showdown With Dramatic Consequences For Syria, NATO, And The Middle East

December 9, 2015
Russian president Vladimir Putin (left) and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (right)

It’s been nearly two weeks since a Turkish jet shot down a Russian medium bomber in Syria, and the rhetoric from the two countries continues to escalate. Will the fight between Turkey and Russia destabilize the Middle East? What is Turkey’s “red line” in Syria? What is the potential fallout from this conflict? Will Turkey invade Syria, shattering NATO or even, as some alarmists have hypothesized, starting World War III?

This week Boston College professor Matt Sienkiewicz and The Interpreter’s managing editor James Miller are joined by Middle East expert Louis Fishman, an assistant professor at Brooklyn College, to discuss Turkey and its relationship with Russia.

Additional reading:

– Haaretz: Shock Waves From Syria Intensify Turkey’s Chaotic Times  

Israeli-Russian Relations in a Sectarian Middle East – Interpreter Podcast 

 Russian Aircraft Fall, Donald Trump Rises – This Week’s Interpreter Podcast 

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Audio for today’s podcast was edited by Maximillien Inhoff.