“Never-ending War and Chaos: Turkey’s Role in Syria and the EU’s Response”

On October 9 of this year Turkey launched a military offensive in northern Syria which is directed against the Kurdish YPG militia. This step was facilitated through the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the region. Thereby, Syria that has been in a civil war for more than eight years becomes once again a site of further combat operations. These cause an ever-increasing number of deaths and force tens of thousands of people to flee. Which role does the NATO member Turkey play in this situation in northern Syria regarding the Kurdish forces? How can the European Union’s reaction to Turkey’s current military intervention be evaluated?

What are the ramifications of the latest developments for a potential reinvigoration of ISIS in the Middle East? We are looking forward to discussing these questions with Joshua Walker. He is the Global Head of Strategic Initiatives of the Eurasia Group in Washington, D.C. Joshua Walker is an expert for questions related to the Middle East, Turkey and the EU. He brings more than two decades of international business diplomacy to this role, most recently serving as CEO and president of the USA Pavilion of the 2017 World Expo in Astana. Before joining the private sector, he worked in numerous roles at various U.S. government agencies, including the State Department and the Department of Defense. Joshua Walker is an Atlantik-Bruecke Young Leader Alumnus of 2012.