Selection of Talks by Ziya Meral 

  • “Turkey and NATO Relations”, US Department of State, 27 January 2020

  • “Question of Theodicy: Religion, Violence and Ideology in 21st Century” Indiana University Bloomington, 23 January 2020

  • “Turkey and Russia Arms Deal: What can NATO do?”, St Antony’s College, Oxford, 13 November 2019

  • “Peacekeeping Missions: Their Past and Future”, Seoul Defence Forum, September 2019

  • “Religion and Conflict in Today’s World”, All Souls College, Oxford, 14 May 2019

  • “Understanding Turkey”, Qatar Young Diplomats Academy, RUSI, 14 November 2018

  • “How Violence Shapes Religion: Belief and Conflict in Africa and Middle East”, King’s College London, 6 November 2018 

  • “How Violence Shapes Religion: Belief and Conflict in Africa and Middle East”, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1 November 2018

  • “How Violence Shapes Religion: Belief and Conflict in Africa and Middle East”, Lambeth Palace, 9 October 2018

  • Panel Discussions on “European Defence, Security and Politics”, Global Horizons Conference, Oxford Analytica, 21-23 September

  • “Syria: Current Developments”, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 21 February 2018

  • “Syrian War”, Cabinet Office- RUSI Roundtable, 20 February 2018 

  • “Religion, Civil Wars and Conflicts”, FCO-Vatican high level conference, Rome, 1 February 2018 

  • “Global Trends Expert Panel”, UNDP Roundtable, Oslo, 12 May 2017

  • “Turkey: Risks and Developments”, NUPI, Oslo, 19 Ma7 2017 

  • “Turkish Foreign Policy”, Turkey Workshop, SEESOX, St Antony’s College, Oxford, 6 December 2016

  • Talk, “Turkey and Political Islam”, EEAS-EU, Brussels, November 2016

  • Testimony, “UK-Turkey Relations”, Foreign Affairs Committee, House of Commons, 1 November 2016

  • “The Turkish Model: its Emergence, Rise and Failure”, Johns Hopkins University, Bologna,  27 October 2016

  • “Turkey’s Syria Policy”, NATO Defence College, Rome, 10 October 2016

  • Panel Discussions on “Turkey, EU, Brexit”, Global Horizons Conference, Oxford Analytica, 21-23 September 2016

  • "How Violence Shapes Religion", lecture at the US State Department, 23 June 2016

  • “Religious Education and Politics in Turkey", US State Department, 22 June 2016

  • “Panel Discussion on religion and international relations”, Chatham House,June 2016

  • "Religion, Conflict and Reconciliation", annual conference of RAF Chaplains, 6 June 2016

  • "Turkey: Future Scenarios", MENA Associates/ Beazley, Lloyd's of London, 25 May 2016

  • "Religion, Violence and Warfare", International Military Religious Leaders Conference, Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, 24 May

  • Testimony before UK House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee on Political Islam, 10 June 2016

  • "Countering Violent Extremism", Wilton Park, Foreign & Commonwealth Office, 27 April 2016

  • "Comparing Boko Haram, ISIS, Al Shabaab- Religion and Violent Conflict",  CHACR, Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, 9 March 2016

  • "Refugees, Economics and Geopolitics: AKP's handling of multiple crises in Turkey",  SEESOX, St Antony's College, Oxford, 17 February 2016

  • "Religion, Failed States and Violence", CRGA conference, Beirut

  • “Religion, Extremism and Violence: What motivates extremists?”,  77th Brigade, UK Army, 13 October 2015

  • “Understanding Religious conflict”, talk at the UK Ministry of Defence, 5 September 2014

  • “Religious violence, conflict and religious freedom,'' talk at joint event organized by UK

  • Department for International Development and Foreign Office, 1 July 2014

  • “Syria: What can regional actors deliver towards peace?”, European Council on Foreign Relations and Danish Institute on International Studies, hosted by the Danish Foreign Ministry, 27 May 2014

  • “Turkey, WWI and UK”, Battlefield Study lecture for UK Army Inspectorate, 13 May 2015

  • “Kurdish peace process, regional developments and Turkish politics”,  European Council on Foreign Relations, 23 May 2014

  • “Syria Conflict and Regional Powers”, lecture at NATO Defense College, Rome, 2 April 2015

  • “Turkish domestic and foreign policy under the AKP government”,  IISS, London, 21 February 2014

  • “Religion and Political Change in the Middle East”, British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, London, 4 December 2013

  • “Increasing religious violence around the world”, Bjorn Bue Memorial Lecture, MHS School of Theology, Norway co-speaking at panel with Kjell Magne Bondevik, former Prime Minister of Norway, 4 April 2013

  • “Turkey and the Middle East”, Panel with Ambassador Hesham Youssef of League of Arab States, Pierre Vimont of European External Action Service, Global Horizons conference, Oxford Analytica, 9 September 2013

  • “Protests in Turkey and their long term political implications”, The European Council on Foreign Relations, London. 29 June 2013

  • “Turkish foreign policy and the Middle East”, Briefing before the All Party Parliamentary Group on Defence and Diplomacy in the Middle East at the House of Commons, 23 April 2013

  • "Prospects for Turkey in a Fast-Changing World", Middle East Centre of the St Anthony's College, University of Oxford, 6 February 2013

  • “Religious minorities in the Middle East”,  Guest lecture to students at the MA in Middle East Studies at King's College, London,  22 January 2013

  • “Aid, Human Rights, Religion and Foreign Policy”, Briefing on the diplomatic responses that can be given to the changes in the Middle East and North Africa, Danish Parliament, 22 May 2012

  • “Myths and Facts of the Arab Spring”, One World Forum, Warwick University, 25 January 2012

  • “Changes in the Middle East and North Africa”,  Radley College, Oxfordshire, 29 September 2011

  • “Will religious freedom survive the Arab Spring?”, Labour Party conference official fringe event, 27 September 2011

  • “Interplay between Religious Freedom, Extremism and Security: Implications for US Policy”, Briefing held by USCIRF, U.S. Senate, 29 July 2011

  • “Turkey’s Elections: A mandate for the AKP’s bold new Middle East policy?”, Henry Jackson Society, House of Commons, 9 June 2011

  • “Revolution and Religion; Faith and Politics in the new Middle East”, US Department of State, Washington DC, 11 March 2011

  • “Politics of religious minorities in the Muslim-majority world”, The London School of Economics, 20 November 2010

  • “Politics of religious conversion in the Muslim world”, The Witherspoon Institute, Princeton, 25 July 2010

  • “Politics and Ethics of Acknowledgment of Historical Atrocities”,  The Irish Centre for Human Rights, National University of Ireland, Galway, 31 March 2010

  • “Socio-political context of victimhood memories in the Middle East and their implications”, The Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, 13 February 2010

  • “Wither Turkey?” All-Party Turkish-British Parliamentarians Group, House of Commons, London, 9 February 2010

  • “Defection from Islam; the politics of belonging & the cost of religious freedom”, Hudson Institute, Washington D.C, 5 October 2009

  • “Muslim-majority States and Human Rights; current trends and policy implications”US Department of State, Washington DC, 29 September 2009

  • “Iran: the future of religious minorities”, Congressional Human Rights Caucus, US Congress, Washington DC, 28 September 2009

  • “Memories of past atrocities and politics of remembering and forgetting”, International Development Course, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, 2 May 2009

  • “Defamation of Religions”, Congressional Human Rights Caucus, US Congress, Washington DC, 11 July 2008

  • “AKP, Secularism and Turkey”, Congressional Human Rights Caucus, US Congress, Washington DC, 9 July 2008

  • “UN Defamation resolutions and their implication for human rights advocacy”, High level symposium on Freedom of Religion, sponsored by Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Geneva, 20 April 2008

  • “Religious Freedom and Anti-Conversion Legislations”, Religious Freedom briefing, the House of Lords, London, 20 February 2007