Turkey’s drone program and its war propaganda on social media
Over the last year Turkey’s drones have seen action in conflicts ranging from Nagorno Karabakh, to Syria, to Libya, with the flagship of Turkey’s drone fleet, the Bayraktar TB2, at the center of international attention. In a recent piece in War on the Rocks, expert Aaron Stein highlights Turkey’s drone program, with an eye on how Ankara has pioneered drone use for the social media age. As a result of an aggressive social media strategy, Ankara has been able to rapidly spread content of its drones in action online. This “war propaganda” has led to a narrative about the effectiveness of Turkish drones, even driving international interest in arms sales from countries like Poland and Ukraine.
Aaron Stein, the Director of Research at the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI), and an expert on Turkey, arms control and nonproliferation, joins us on The Greek Current to break down his latest piece, look at Turkey’s drone program, and explore whether Turkey’s propaganda is more impactful than the drone itself.
Read Aaron Stein’s latest piece in War on the Rocks: Say Hello To Turkey’s Little Friend: How Drones Help Level The Playing Field
You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:
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