A nation must think before it acts.
Turkey and Syria After the Earthquakes
February 21, 2023 | 11:00 am to 12:00 pm | Middle East Program
About the Event
On February 6 two devastating earthquakes struck southeastern Turkey and Northern Syria, precipitating a massive humanitarian disaster in an area already dealing with the strains of conflict between and amongst Turkey, Syria, and its Kurdish minorities. Collapsing buildings in major urban areas across a 400km radius, the earthquakes have already claimed the lives of more than 35,000 people, making it the deadliest in Turkey's history, and experts have projected that final figures could be over 100,000 casualties.
The slow and uneven response by the Turkish government has called into question decades of building practices in this region and across the country, and raised serious concerns about the political future of the country as general elections are scheduled for May 14.
Join FPRI Senior Fellow Selim Koru, in a conversation with journalists Diego Cupolo (Turkey Recap) and Erin O'Brien (War on the Rocks), and analyst Gönül Tol (Middle East Institute), each of whom have first hand accounts of the aftermath of the earthquakes in Turkey's southeast to share with our audience.
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FPRI is happy to provide this event free of charge thanks to the generous support of our members, partners, and event attendees. If you are not currently a member, the suggested donation is $25.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our events coordinator, Kayla Wendt at kwendt@fpri.org.
Speakers
Diego Cupolo - Diego Cupolo is managing editor of the Turkey recap newsletter and a freelance multimedia journalist based in Istanbul, Turkey.
Erin O’Brien - Erin O’Brien is the membership editor at War on the Rocks and also reports from Turkey.
Gönül Tol - Gönül Tol is the founding director of the Middle East Institute’s Turkey program and a senior fellow for the Frontier Europe Initiative. She is the author of "Erdogan's War: A Strongman's Struggle at Home and in Syria."
