The Centre for Turkey Studies in partnership with the Centre for Kurdish Progress is pleased to invite you to a CEFTUS Westminster Debate with keynote speakers Dr Neil Quilliam, Acting Head, Middle East and North Africa Programme of Chatham House and Mr Jonathan Friedman, Turkey and Middle East Expert at Stroz Friedberg and Associate at the Centre for Turkey Studies.
Please see speaker biographies below.
The event will take place between 7-9PM on Monday 19th October 2015 in Committee Room 10, House of Commons. Please note security checks are required to enter the House of Commons, at the Cromwell Green Entrance. We kindly ask you to arrive at 6.30PM to allow the event to start and end on time. Booking is required for this event to ensure adequate seating available.
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria’s (ISIS) July suicide attack on Turkey’s border town of Suruc shattered the country’s sense of stability, prompting it to declare war against ISIS and open its airbases to Western military forces. Soon after, the two-year-old peace process between the Kurdish militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the Turkish government collapsed, plunging Turkey’s Kurdish-majority southeast into violence and unrest. Meanwhile, Turkey and the US have agreed in principle to establish a “safe zone” in northern Syria. This is billed as an effort to weaken ISIS, hasten the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and secure a space for resettling refugees. Yet the US and Ankara disagree over the details of the zone, while the PKK fears that the effort is designed to divide territories under Kurdish control in northern Syria.
Our keynote speakers, Dr Neil Quilliam and Mr Jonathan Friedman will discuss Turkey’s war against ISIS, the PKK and the Assad regime, and its implications for the future of the region.
This debate is kindly hosted by our keynote speaker Diane Abbott MP.
Alternatively, RSVP to info@ceftus.org
We look forward to welcoming you to this event.
Speaker Biographies
Dr Neil Quilliam is the acting head of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Programme at Chatham House. He first joined Chatham House as a senior research fellow in January 2014, then as senior consulting fellow from September 2014. He previously served as senior MENA energy adviser at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), senior MENA analyst at Control Risks, London, and senior programme officer at the United Nations University, Amman. Neil has lived in Saudi Arabia, Jordan and UAE, and has travelled extensively around the MENA region, working on a variety of development, education and research projects. He has published a number of books and articles on international relations and political economy of Syria, Jordan, Iraq and the Gulf Cooperation Council states.
Mr Jonathan Friedman is an assistant director at global risk consultancy Stroz Friedberg, where he advises investors in Turkey and the Middle East on political, security and reputational risks. He is also an associate at the Centre for Turkey Studies, and a co-author of recent analysis on Western policy in Syria published by Chatham House. Before entering risk consulting, Mr Friedman worked in various roles on Capitol Hill, including for US Vice President Joe Biden.