On Wednesday, January 22nd, 2014 the Rumi Forum and the Turman National Security Project hosted this panel, “Turkey 2014: Challenges and Prospects Ahead” moderated by Caitlin Howarth joined by Ihsan Dagi and Joshua Walker.
BIOGRAPHIES ON THE PANELISTS:
CAITLIN HOWARTH
Caitlin Howarth is Director of Leadership Development at the Truman National Security Project and Center for National Policy (CNP), where she recruits, trains and positions leaders in policy, politics and security. Prior to joining Truman/CNP, Caitlin was Deputy Director of the Telecommunications Equality Project led by Susan Crawford at the Roosevelt Institute. Caitlin co-authored “Crisis Mapping Needs an Ethical Compass,” featured in Global Brief, and has appeared on the BBC World Service.
IHSAN DAGI
Dr. Ihsan Dagi is a Professor of International Relations at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey. He has written numerous articles on Turkey’s political landscape, including pieces on political Islam, Turkey’s relations with Europe, and human rights and democracy. He is the author of Turkey between Democracy and Militarism. He is currently a visiting Fulbright fellow at the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University. From 2007 to 2013, he served as the editor-in-chief of quarterly Insight Turkey. Dagi regularly writes for Turkish dailies Zaman and Today’s Zaman.
JOSHUA WALKER
Dr. Joshua Walker is the Director of Global Programs at APCO Worldwide’s Washington, D.C. office and specializes in business diplomacy, international affairs and public-private partnerships. He served as an international affairs fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations, where he was senior adviser to numerous officials in U.S. federal departments and agencies. He served at the U.S. Department of State in Secretary Kerry’s office of the chief economist and previously served in Secretary Clinton’s Global Partnership Initiative as the senior adviser on the Middle East and North Africa. He has also worked for the U.S. Embassy Ankara, Turkey Desk at the State Department and the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon. Prior to the State Department, Dr. Walker was a transatlantic fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States responsible for its Turkey program and a Truman National Security Project fellow.
Y. ALP ASLANDOGAN
Dr. Y. Alp Aslandogan is the President of the Alliance for Shared Values in New York. Prior to his current position, Dr. Aslandogan served as the board president of the Institute of Interfaith Dialog in Houston, Texas. In that role, he oversaw the organization of academic as well as grassroots activities of the Institute around topics such as shared values of humanity, social cognition and conflicts, the art of living together, foundations and methodology of interfaith and intercultural dialogue, and the role of faithful citizens in democracy. Dr. Aslandogan recently co-edited a book entitled “Muslim Citizens of the Globalized World: Contributions of the Gulen Movement”. He is also the co-author of an upcoming book on the history of democracy in Turkey. Dr. Aslandogan is an author and an editor of the Fountain magazine, and a board member of the Journal of Interreligious Dialogue.
