As global attention focuses on Iran, a new Islamist threat is emerging from within NATO: Turkey. In this eye-opening episode of “True East,” IDF Spokesperson (Res.) Doron Spielman is joined by Harold Rhode, a former senior advisor at the U.S. Department of Defense and expert on Turkey, Iran and Islamic ideology.
Together, they unpack Turkey’s transformation under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan—from a secular Western ally into a rising Islamic powerhouse with ambitions rivaling Tehran’s.
Topics covered:
- How Erdoğan has dismantled Turkish secularism and revived Ottoman-style imperialism
- Turkey’s covert support for Hamas and links to ISIS
- The military and ideological infiltration of Syria by Turkish special forces
- How Erdoğan outmaneuvered the West using the Muslim Brotherhood playbook
- The threat posed by Turkey’s shifting alliances with Iran, Russia, and China
- Why NATO remains silent and what that means for Israel’s national security
- The dramatic breakdown of the Israel–Turkey relationship, from close ties to open hostility
- The cultural and ideological divide between Turkey’s elites and its people
- Shocking insight into Turkey’s refusal to return ancient Jewish artifacts, such as the Siloam Inscription
With over 60 years of on-the-ground expertise, Rhode delivers unparalleled analysis of Turkey’s long-term strategy to dominate the Sunni Islamic world—and what Israel, the United States and Europe must do to respond.
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