The 19th Foreign Policy Talks series, which brings together experts, researchers, academics, and journalists to discuss current foreign policy issues, was held online by IstanPol on November 18, 2025. The event addressed the last year of US-Turkey relations under the Trump administration and the impact of changing dynamics in international politics.

In the first year of Donald Trump's second presidency, US foreign policy has entered a new and uncertain era in terms of global security and transatlantic relations. For Turkey, Trump's second presidency presents both challenges and opportunities, exposing long-standing frictions over defense, sanctions, and regional priorities while revitalizing channels of cooperation. Within this framework, the event addressed the reestablished ties between Ankara and Washington, their sustainability, their impact on both sides' relations with Syria, Israel, and Russia, and the feasibility of mutual demands.

The meeting, moderated by IstanPol Foreign Policy Program Coordinator Riccardo Gasco, was attended by:

• Aslı Aydıntaşbaş, Director, The Turkey Project, Brookings Institution
• Howard Eissenstat, Laurentian Associate Professor of Middle East History, St. Lawrence University
• Özgür Ünlühisarcıklı, Managing Director, GMF South and Wider Europe; Regional Director for Türkiye, GMF