Just beneath the surface of Russia’s war against Ukraine and its Cold War-style showdown with the West, Moscow has been locked in another less-noticed geopolitical battle — with Turkey. And it is a battle that Russia is clearly losing.
In September 2023, Azerbaijani forces, backed by Turkey, seized control of the separatist territory of Nagorno-Karabakh from Russia’s ally Armenia.
And just last month, Syrian rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or H.T.S. and the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army overthrew the Moscow-backed dictator Bashir Al-Assad.
Russia and Turkey’s interests clash in other places as well, including in Libya and in the Western Balkans.
That sound you hear is that of old empires clashing. So what to make of this relationship and rivalry – and what does it portend going forward?
On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore speaks with Jeff Mankoff, a Distinguished Research Fellow at National Defense University’s Institute for National Strategic Studies and author of the must-read book Empires of Eurasia: How Imperial Legacies Shape International Security. (Jeff Mankoff’s views are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of NDU or the U.S. Department of Defense.)
Enjoy…
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SHOW NOTES
Jeff Mankoff’s book, Empires of Eurasia: How Imperial Legacies Shape International Security, can be purchased here. His other published works can be accessed here and here.
The Power Vertical Newsletter on Substack can be accessed here. Recently published work by Brian Whitmore can be accessed here, here, and here. Please follow Brian Whitmore and The Power Vertical on Bluesky @powervertical.bsky.social
Casey Michel’s article in Foreign Policy, “The Domino Theory is Coming for Putin,” which was referenced on the podcast, can be accessed here.