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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