Turkey and Asymmetric Warfare (Video Available)

Introduction: Glen Howard President, The Jamestown Foundation

Presenter: Dr. Andrew McGregor, Director Aberfoyle International Security

Commenter: Dr. Cinar Ozen Associate Professor Gazi University, Ankara

Located at the strategic crossroads of Europe, Asia, the Caucasus and the Middle East, Turkey has long maintained one of the world’s largest conventional armies. Today Turkey is facing new challenges in the rapidly developing field of asymmetric warfare, described by one senior general as a means “used by the weak to confront the strong or between even powers to defeat one another basing their actions on difference and superiority.” To confront these challenges Turkey’s military is undergoing radical reforms designed to provide a smaller, better equipped, more flexible and more professional armed forces. In addition there is an emphasis on intelligence gathering and cooperation with both new and traditional allies. A key element of these reforms is the development of an indigenous arms industry that will make Turkey’s military self-reliant and fully capable of providing the armed forces with the means of countering threats from terrorist and guerrilla formations in the 21st century.

Dr. Andrew McGregor is Director of Aberfoyle International Security, a Toronto-based agency specializing in security issues related to the Islamic world. He received a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto’s Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations in 2000, and is a former Research Associate of the Canadian Institute of International Affairs. In October 2007 he took over as editor of the Jamestown Foundation’s Terrorism Focus and Terrorism Monitor publications. He is the author of an archaeological history of Darfur published by Cambridge University in 2001 and publishes frequently on international security issues. His latest book is A Military History of Modern Egypt, published by Praeger Security International in 2006. Dr. McGregor provides commentary on military and security issues for newspapers (including the New York Times and Financial Times), as well as making frequent appearances on radio (CBC Radio, VOA, Radio Canada International) and television (CBC Newsworld, CTV Newsnet, and others). Dr. Cinar Ozen is Associate Professor at Gazi University in the Department of International Relations. He received his Ph.D., titled “Analysis of Turkey-EU relations from the framework of Neo-functionalist Theory,” from Gazi University in 1988. He also has a BA in International Relations from Ankara University, Faculty of Political Sciences, and masters degrees in International Relations from Gazi University and European Studies from the Université de Genève. Dr. Ozen is an academic adviser for the Center of Excellence – Defence Against Terrorism (COE-DAT) and external specialist for the Turkish General Staff Center for Strategic Studies. Between 2001 and 2005, he worked as a faculty member at the Izmir University of Economics in the Department of International Relations and the EU. His academic research interests include European security, Turkish foreign policy and counter-terrorism. He has published articles and book chapters, as well as supervised MA and Ph.D. dissertations on these subjects.

Directions:

The Jamestown Foundation
1111 16th St. NW
Washington, DC 20036

12:00 P.M. – 2:00 P.M.

Reservations are required. Please e-mail your name and affiliation to: rsvp-june17@jamestown.org.

A light luncheon will be served.