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He's of Turkish descent, hence the name of his former show on MSNBC, The Young Turks. Clever, huh? Uygur supported the Gulf War of 1990–1991, and supported the War in Afghanistan from its beginning in 2001 until 2009—though he has strongly opposed the Iraq War. He supported the 2011 military intervention in Libya. Uygur expressed denial of the Armenian Genocide in letters published by The Daily Pennsylvanian in 1991 and Salon in 1999, in one of which titled "Historical Fact or Falsehood?" he stated, "The claims of an Armenian Genocide are not based on historical facts. If the history of the period is examined it becomes evident that in fact no such genocide took place." Uygur has changed his positions in recent years and is now a progressive. On social issues, Uygur is now pro-choice on abortion and supports LGBT rights, including same-sex marriage. In 2009, he advocated the liberalization of drug laws, arguing that the War on Drugs has been a failure, as shown by the continuing violence in Mexico and the border region. He also opposes imprisoning non-violent drug offenders for marijuana possession. He previously supported capital punishment, but now opposes it largely due to multiple exonerations of death row inmates since its reinstatement.