How Turkey Is Using Middle East Instability to Become a Regional Power | John Spencer

Urban warfare expert John Spencer joins this NEW episode of Real Talk to explain how the wars reshaping the Middle East are creating new opportunities for rising powers like Turkey. Spencer breaks down Turkey’s growing ambitions, Israel’s security concerns, the collapse of Assad’s regime in Syria, and why Syria has become a central battleground for regional power competition. He also explains what modern urban warfare reveals about the conflicts in Ukraine, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Gaza, and why Americans should pay attention to conflicts that may seem far away. 00:00 John Spencer on Urban Warfare00:31 John’s 25 Years in the U.S. Military03:46 What Makes Urban Warfare Different?06:09 What Makes Someone a Military Expert?08:45 Cities, Civilians, and the Laws of War12:07 Proportionality and Civilian Harm in Urban Combat17:45 When Terrorists Use Western Values Against Us23:23 Nagorno-Karabakh and the Battle of Shusha29:39 Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Rising Regional Powers34:07 Ukraine, Kyiv, and the Mini-Manual for Urban Defense39:45 Drones, Delta, and the Future of Warfare47:48 Why America Gets Involved in Foreign Wars53:20 What the Media Missed About India and Pakistan57:32 Syria After Assad, Turkey, Israel, and the Kurds01:11:05 Can America Defend Its Cities? Follow Marissa on social: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marissastreit/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marissastreitofficial/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/marissastreit/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@marissastreit LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marissastreit/ PragerU: https://www.prageru.com/shows/real-talk/ PragerU Español: https://www.youtube.com/@esPragerU Follow John Spencer on social: Twitter: https://x.com/SpencerGuard Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spencerguard/ LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnwspencer2018/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@johnspencerwarscholar TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@johnspencerurbanwarfare Website: www.johnspenceronline.com Podcast: The Urban Warfare Project Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/urban-warfare-project/id1490714950 Listen to Real Talk with Marissa Streit on Spotify and Apple Podcasts New episodes drop every Wednesday! Spotify: https://l.prageru.com/407PQ51 Apple Podcasts: https://l.prageru.com/4u4hX2B Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices