Violence in Turkey on Two Fronts

Aaron Stein comes on the show to discuss recent attacks in Turkey by the Islamic State and the PKK. Some of the topics covered include:

• Background on the various groups involved in recent attacks
• The changing tactics and strategy of groups launching attacks in Turkey
• The significance of the fact that these attacks are from Turkey-based networks
• How the recent violence could affect Turkish politics
• Turkey’s recent refugee deal with the EU

Links:

• Turkey’s Presidential Politics: The Far Right’s Collapse and the Kurdish Left’s Prosecution
• Kurdish Militants and Turkey’s New Urban Insurgency
• Turkey Wonk: Nuclear and Political Musings in Turkey and Beyond
• Aaron Stein (@aaronstein1) on Twitter
• Karl Morand (@KarlMorand) on Twitter

War in Yemen: Confusion, Chaos, and a Bit of Optimism

Adam Baron comes back on the show to discuss the conflict in Yemen as it enters its second year. We covered a variety of topics related to the current situation and how things could play out in the near future:

• What casual observers missunderstand
• Challenge of getting unbiased information about what’s happening on the ground
• Recent border truce between the Saudis and Houthis
• Saudi coalition strikes against al-Qaeda, and AQ’s current strength in the country
• What the future could hold for former president Saleh
• What the international community can do to help the situation
• The humanitarian crisis in Yemen

Links:

• Adam Baron | European Council on Foreign Relations
• Adam Baron – Adam’s personal site
• Karl Morand (@KarlMorand) on Twitter