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Henri J Barkey

Henri J Barkey is the Cohen Professor of International Relations at Lehigh University and an adjunct senior fellow for Middle East Studies at the Council of Foreign Relations. He is the former director of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Barkey is also a former public policy scholar at the Wilson Center. His most recent works include “Turkey's Syria Predicament” and “Iraq, Its Neighbors and the United States,” co-edited with Phebe Marr and Scott Lasensky. He served as a member of the US State Department Policy Planning Staff working primarily on issues related to the Middle East, the Eastern Mediterranean, and intelligence from 1998 to 2000.

Articles By Henri J Barkey

Biden’s Regrettable Syria Policy Gives Turkey a Free Rein By Henri J Barkey - Dec 12, 2022

It is difficult to understand what the Biden administration is doing in northern Syria where its allies, the Syrian Kurds, have been bombed to high heaven by Turkish forces. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has insisted that he also intends to mount a land operation against America’s partners there. Although Turkey for some time had been bombing and assassinating members of the US-allied Syrian … Continue reading “Biden’s Regrettable Syria Policy Gives Turkey a Free Rein”

Erdogan’s NATO Expansion Roadblock Will Only Harm Turkey By Henri J Barkey - May 24, 2022

Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine has sufficiently alarmed Finland and Sweden for them to reverse decades-long policies and apply for immediate membership of NATO. What appeared to be a no-brainer for the alliance has quickly hit a roadblock in Turkey’s mercurial president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Citing political differences with the two countries, which he finds overly indulgent of Turkish-Kurdish … Continue reading “Erdogan’s NATO Expansion Roadblock Will Only Harm Turkey”

Could a US-Turkey F-16 Deal Be a Win-Win For Biden? By Henri J Barkey - Apr 24, 2022

A fight is brewing between the Biden administration and Congress over Turkey’s request to purchase F-16 fighter aircraft. Congressional leaders, upset at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for buying Russian arms and human rights violations under his authoritarian system, have expressed their strong opposition. The Turkish request for 40 new aircraft and upgrade kits for existing F-16s comes after the US decision to kick Turkey out of … Continue reading “Could a US-Turkey F-16 Deal Be a Win-Win For Biden?”

A Tangled Web for Turkey in Russia’s War With Ukraine By Henri J Barkey - Mar 8, 2022

As Russia’s war in Ukraine enters its second week, Turkey finds itself in an unenviable position, entangled geographically, economically, politically, and militarily with the war’s protagonists. Amid a zero-sum conflict for both sides, the choices Ankara makes now will anger or disappoint one or the other – a calculus that will only become more complicated as the conflict drags on. For President … Continue reading “A Tangled Web for Turkey in Russia’s War With Ukraine”

US Pipeline Withdrawal Marks New Chapter in Eastern Mediterranean By Henri J Barkey - Jan 28, 2022

Earlier this month, the United States surprised Greece and its two primary partners in the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum, Israel and Cyprus, by withdrawing its backing for a natural gas pipeline that would have connected them to Europe. The American change of heart was ostensibly justified by the need to focus on clean energy sources and that … Continue reading “US Pipeline Withdrawal Marks New Chapter in Eastern Mediterranean”