Burak Bekdil is an Ankara-based Turkish political columnist who wrote for Hurriyet Daily News [formerly Turkish Daily News] for 29 years. He has covered Turkey for the U.S. weekly Defense News since 1997. Previously, Bekdil worked as Ankara Bureau Chief for Dow Jones Newswires and CNBC-e television. He has contributed to annual national defense sector reviews for anti-corruption institutions like Transparency International and Global Integrity. Bekdil is a fellow at the Middle East Forum (Philadelphia) and regularly writes for the Gatestone Institute (New York). He also contributes to Perspectives, a journal of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, Bar-Ilan University (Tel Aviv). Bekdil authored chapters in “Glimmer Train Stories” (Feb. 1, 2002) and “Ally No More: Erdogan’s New Turkish Caliphate and the Rising Jihadist threat to the West” (Apr. 15, 2018).
A graduate of the Middle East Technical University and University of Surrey, Bekdil's comments, quotes and articles have been published in international media outlets including: the Wall Street Journal, The Economist, BBC, The Guardian, Reuters, Associated Press, Bloomberg, Los Angeles Times, The Commentator, New York Times, Kathimerini, National Review Online, Algemeiner, NPR, Washington Times, Die Presse, Haaretz, The Jerusalem Post, Toronto Star, Financial Times, Al-Monitor, Le Figaro, ABC, El Pais, Stern, Al-Arabiya, Helsingin Sanomat, Racjonalista, Defence Greece, Moyen-Orient, Courier International, ISN Security Watch, Coloquio (Congreso Judio Latinoamerico), and the Jewish Chronicle (London).
Sessions
Keynote: "Erdogan's Neo-Ottoman Irredentism: How Serious A Military Challenge?"