Energy pipelines have never been merely engineering projects. Throughout the modern history of the Middle East, they have served as instruments of geopolitical influence, strategic leverage and regional power projection. Every major pipeline has reshaped political calculations as much as it has redirected the flow of oil. The decision by Iraq and Syria to revive the historic Kirkuk–Baniyas oil pipeline ...

By Mehmet Enes Beşer Every time the “New Silk Road” comes up, the conversation always drifts toward trains, ports, highways, and cables. Everyone seems to think it’s just a giant construction project. But honestly, that misses what’s really going on. The real question is who’s in charge—who sets the rules, who gets the upper hand, and who finds themselves dependent ...

By Ali Özgündüz, former Member of Turkish Parliament The international conference entitled “The Alliance to Prevent a Great War,” organized by the World Civilizations Initiative Research Center, was held at the Meyra Palace Hotel in Ankara on 18–19 July 2026. UWI will present the speeches held on the conference during the coming days. The conference, which featured presentations by speakers ...

By Yıldıran Acar, Political Scientist The targeting of civilian tankers in the Black Sea, which play a critical role in Kazakhstan’s energy exports, has once again highlighted the war’s repercussions extending beyond the front line. As the conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues, energy supply, maritime trade and transport security are increasingly becoming the focus of geopolitical competition. In the ...

By Mehmet Enes Beşer Rare earths are the kind of material you never think about—right up until you can’t stop thinking about them. They sit inside the stuff we now treat as normal: EV motors, wind turbines, missile guidance, medical scanners, smartphones, factory robots. Tiny inputs, huge consequences. And in the Indo-Pacific, they’ve become a simple, uncomfortable test: can we ...

As is always his habit, US President Donald Trump seems to draw from a well fundamentally different from that of his predecessors. Consequently, all his political stances and decisions appear as a rebellion against the constraints that bound the occupants of the White House for decades. At times, he looks like a rebel with no respect for the legacy of ...

By Aleksandr Galushka, Former Minister for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic, President, “Kristall Rosta” Foundation, Russia The international conference entitled “The Alliance to Prevent a Great War,” organized by the World Civilizations Initiative Research Center, was held at the Meyra Palace Hotel in Ankara on 18–19 July 2026. UWI will present the speeches held on the ...

By Mehmet Enes Beşer Türkiye has become a Dialogue Partner of ASEAN, but a higher diplomatic title will not create regional influence on its own. Türkiye already has a broad cooperation agenda and an ASEAN–Türkiye Fund at the ASEAN Secretariat. The next step is to turn that existing fund into a predictable multi-year program, supported by a small implementation team ...

The greatest geopolitical transformation of the twenty-first century is now taking place across the world’s oceans: Tevfik Kadan claims that in his book “Denizlerin Fethi Çağı” (The Age of Conquering the Seas) published by Kaynak Publications in Istanbul in June 2026 Tevfik Kadan, editor-in-chief of the daily newspaper Aydınlık, examines the global struggle for power through the lens of the ...

By Brahim Mokhtar Buyema, Director General for Asian Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Former Minister of State, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic The international conference entitled “The Alliance to Prevent a Great War,” organized by the World Civilizations Initiative Research Center, was held at the Meyra Palace Hotel in Ankara on 18–19 July 2026. UWI will present the speeches ...