UWI author and political scientist Onur Sinan Güzaltan gave a presentation on the consequences of the Iran/US-Israel war and possible future developments at a conference titled “Energy and the Global Economy: Its Significance and Impact in the Aftermath of the Ukrainian and Middle East Crises” organized by the Russian House International Relations Club in Mumbai, India. We present Güzaltan’s speech ...
By Mehmet Enes Beşer China’s abrupt emergence as a global player in new energy vehicle (NEV) exports is one of the most dramatic trends in the automobile industry today. No longer held to be the “world’s factory” for low-cost manufacture, China’s rise as an international player in the electric vehicle market is testament to deep-seated structural potential—first and foremost, its ...
By Mehmet Enes Beşer Where semiconductors are as strategically important as oil once was, global competition for technological superiority has placed new stress—and new fault lines—on the microchip supply chain. But in the face of increasing decoupling and technological competition sound bites, China has a rival message: one of contribution, integration, and cooperation. Instead of being merely a consumer and ...
By Mehmet Enes Beşer In a time of technological upheaval and scientific advancement, the global talent war is as essential as the pursuit of capital or influence. Those nations that are able to lure, retain, and empower the best minds will determine the future of innovation and economic dominance. Amidst changing geopolitical configurations and increased competition, China has emerged as ...
By Mehmet Enes Beşer Southeast Asia is at a juncture as the global decarbonization race is gaining momentum. It possesses an increasing, rapidly urbanizing population, burgeoning energy needs, and exposure to climate change impacts. In its journey towards developing a greener future, it must look towards the latest, mass-market technology. The most revolutionary change in this area has been the ...
One of the most devastating actions of European colonialism towards Africa was the physical removal of cultural heritage from the continent. During the 1897 British Punitive Expedition, the palace of the Kingdom of Benin was looted, and more than 3,000 bronze and ivory artifacts were taken to London. Today, approximately one thousand of these works are in the British Museum, ...
By Orçun Göktürk / President of the Sino-Turkish Studies Center The war launched against Iran following the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on February 28-carried out by Washington and Tel Aviv while negotiations with Tehran were still ongoing-has now exceeded its first month. The operations initiated under Trump’s “regime change in Iran” strategy continue in the face of ...
The war that began on February 28 with US/Israeli airstrikes on Iranian cities continues. The boundaries of the war, both in terms of time and geography, remain unclear. It is likely to prolong and spread… The conclusions from the first act; 1. The US/Israel failed to achieve their strategic objectives regarding Iran (overthrow of the regime, Color Revolution, ethnic uprisings, ...
By Mehmet Enes Beşer China’s economic rebound since the pandemic has been patchy, paradoxical, and sometimes misleading. While macroeconomic metrics—exports, manufacturing production, and state-led infrastructure investment—blink flashes of strength, the foundation of the rebound remains weak. Maybe nowhere is that weakness more evident than in the country’s treatment of its 300 million migrant workers. These workers, who have driven China’s ...
By Mehmet Enes Beşer China has traditionally been defined in the world economy as the “world’s factory” – a manufacturing giant which offered size, velocity, and price discounts to global value chains. With the growth of its market, the script was rewritten: China emerged as a giant market where foreign firms competed with one another to sell their products and ...
By Mehmet Enes Beşer As protectionism rises and the global political system increasingly fragments, with supply chains being disrupted and rearranged, China’s further opening-up stands out as a strong opposing trend. While other economies are heading towards seclusion—hardening markets, curtailing technology, turning to economic nationalism—China is opting for greater engagement with the globe. This is not just an adjustment of ...
By Orçun Göktürk, from Beijing / China I spent 25 days in Taiwan. When I set out from Beijing on the morning of January 2nd and set foot in Taipei, the capital of this island of 22 million people, my mind was filled with the “imminent invasion” and “powder keg” scenarios served daily by Western media. However, the moment I ...