Elections, the anniversary of Lausanne, Turkey’s centennial, and Greek-Turkish relations

Aside from key elections next year in both Turkey and Greece, 2023 also marks the 100th anniversary of the Treaty of Lausanne, the treaty that established Turkey’s modern borders and is at the heart of Greek-Turkish relations, and the centennial of the founding of the Turkish Republic.

While Turkish President Erdogan has been dangerously ramping up tensions with Greece in the Aegean in the build up to elections, these two historic anniversaries could add to those tensions.

Ryan Gingeras, professor in the Department of National Security Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School and author of the upcoming book The Last Days of the Ottoman Empire, joins me to look into how elections coupled with the weight of history on display next year could impact Greek-Turkish relations.