This event will explore the consequences of the 6 February 2023 earthquakes for Turkish society, politics and foreign policy.
The 7.6–7.8 magnitude earthquakes that impacted the southern regions in Turkey were inhabited by more than 15 million people. As a result of the quakes, more than 50,000 people died, 2.5 million people were displaced and nearly 250,000 buildings collapsed. The earthquake’s economic loss was estimated to be around 4% of Turkey’s GDP.
While the scale of the disaster is well-known, its potential impact on Turkish society and politics is still underexplored. With this in mind, the speakers will discuss to what extent the earthquakes made an impact on the May 2023 general election outcomes, how civil society and state-society relations were influenced by the earthquake and the subsequent relief efforts, and whether Turkish foreign policy changed as a result of expressions of international solidarity.
Meet the speakers and chair
Yaprak Gürsoy (@ygursoy) is Professor of European Politics and Chair of Contemporary Turkish Studies at LSE. She has worked on Turkish politics, democratization and regime consolidation. She is the author of Between Military Rule and Democracy: Regime Consolidation in Greece, Turkey, and Beyond (University of Michigan Press, 2017).
Buğra Süsler (@BugraSusler) is Lecturer in the UCL Department of Political Science and Visiting Fellow at LSE IDEAS. He is the author of Turkey, the EU, and the Middle East: Foreign Policy Cooperation and the Arab Uprisings (Routledge, 2020), which examines Turkish foreign policy decision-making processes.
Özge Zihnioğlu (@OZihnioglu) is Senior Lecturer in Politics at the University of Liverpool. Her research focuses on civil society, activism, EU-Turkey relations, and EU civil society support. Özge is the author of EU-Turkey Relations: Civil Society and Depoliticization (Routledge, 2020) and European Union Civil Society Policy and Turkey (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013).
Chris Alden is Professor of International Relations and Director of LSE IDEAS. He is author/co-author of numerous books, including The South and World Politics (Palgrave 2010) and Foreign Policy Analysis – New Approaches, 2nd edition (Routledge 2017).
More information about the event
Event hashtag: #LSE Turkey
Join us for a delightful reception immediately following the event.
Contemporary Turkish Studies focuses on the politics and economy of Türkiye and its relations with the rest of Europe. The research group aims to promote a deeper understanding of contemporary Türkiye through interdisciplinary and critical research, teaching and related public activities.
LSE IDEAS (@lseideas) is LSE's foreign policy think tank. Through sustained engagement with policymakers and opinion-formers, IDEAS provides a forum that informs policy debate and connects academic research with the practice of diplomacy and strategy.
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