Turkey's Talk Show Nationalists - War on the Rocks

TURKEY’S TALK SHOW NATIONALISTS RYAN GINGERASAPRIL 8, 2021 COMMENTARY Turn on Turkish television on any given night, and it is likely you will meet eyes with a former general or admiral. At first blush, their steady presence as commentators on talk shows, as well as on social media, appears unremarkable. With the Turkish armed forces deployed on a variety of fronts both at home and abroad, events appear to demand the interpretative aid of those with military experience. Watch enough programming and you discover, however, that the generals and admirals of Turkish television are by no means passive actors. Former military officers have emerged as a potent constituency in Turkey’s fragmented partisan landscape. Via television and social media, many have sought to shape the tenor, and perhaps even the direction, of Turkish foreign policy. More:Turkey's Talk Show Nationalists - War on the Rocks