BAU and TÜMBİKON Hold Joint Workshop

A workshop titled "International Workshop: Türkiye's Current Geopolitical and Social Issues and Proposed Solutions" was held at BAU.

The Confederation of All Bureaucrats and Businesspeople (TÜMBİKON) and Bahçeşehir University organized a workshop titled "International Workshop: Türkiye's Current Geopolitical and Social Issues and Proposed Solutions." The workshop was attended by experts from the United Kingdom, France and universities in various provinces of Türkiye, as well as experts from civil society organizations working on migration and strategy.

In his speech, TÜMBİKON President Cevdet Akay stated that Türkiye is experiencing various problems due to migrants and asylum seekers from both Syria and other countries, and that they aim to address the country's problems in various fields in cooperation with scientists and universities and to convey the resulting views and proposed solutions to the relevant authorities.

Can Çobanoğlu, Director of the TÜMBİKON National and International Social and Economic Strategic Research Center and Acting President of TÜMBİKON, also spoke at the workshop. Çobanoğlu emphasized that it is necessary to look at Türkiye's problems from a strategic perspective.

Prof. Dr. Esra Hatipoğlu, Advisor to the President of Bahçeşehir University and Director of the School of Government and Leadership at the International Leadership Research and Application Center (ULMER), stated that international relations are going through a process in which the meaning and function of geopolitics are changing.

Prof. Dr. Nilüfer Narlı, Head of the Department of Sociology at Bahçeşehir University and Director of the Center for Society, Health, Behavior and Prevention (TOSAM), said they were pleased to cooperate with TÜMBİKON, an umbrella NGO, and pointed out the need to thoroughly research the various effects of migration issues on the social structure and to put forward proposed solutions drawing on expert opinions.

The last of the opening speeches was delivered by Bahçeşehir University Vice President Prof. Dr. Tunç Bozbura. After expressing his satisfaction that the university was hosting such a workshop, Bozbura referred to the complexity of problems in the social sphere and emphasized the importance of drawing on the views of the distinguished academics and experts participating in the workshop.

Following the opening speeches, sessions were held under four headings. The first session was titled "Geopolitical Issues in the Context of the Post-COVID-19 New Normal."

The session, moderated by Prof. Dr. Esra Hatipoğlu, was attended by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Uğur Yasin Asal from İstanbul Commerce University, Prof. Dr. Sedat Aybar from Bahçeşehir University, Assist. Prof. Dr. Selma Şekercioğlu Bozacıoğlu from İstanbul Arel University and Prof. Dr. Nuray Ekşi from Özyeğin University.

The second session was held under the title "Geopolitical and Social Risks in the Context of Transnational Human Mobility." In this session, moderated by Murah Lehimler from İstanbul Topkapı University, Assist. Prof. Dr. Zeynep Banu Dalaman from İstanbul Topkapı University, Prof. Dr. İbrahim Sirkeci from the International British School in the United Kingdom and Prof. Dr. Orhan Deniz from Van Yüzüncü Yıl University presented their papers.

The topic of the third session was "The Geopolitics of Social Inclusion, Integration and Prevention Policies." Prof. Dr. Catherine WIHTOL DE WENDEN from Sciences Po in Paris was the first to join this session via Zoom. The other participants were Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gülay Uğur Göksel from İstanbul Bilgi University, Prof. Dr. Melih Görgün from Yeditepe University and Attorney Mahmut İsal from the Minerva Business and Human Rights Association.

The fourth session discussed "Capital and Labor Flows from Syria to Türkiye, Economic Opportunities and Risks." This final session was moderated by Can Çobanoğlu. Ömer Kadkoy from the Economic Policy Research Foundation of Türkiye (TEPAV) and Assist. Prof. Dr. Çağatay Sarp from Kırıkkale University presented their papers. A virtual presentation by Ahmet Hüseyin Abay from the Hatay Reyhanlı Chamber of Commerce was also viewed.

The issues emphasized and underlined in all four sessions were that the world order is changing; that geopolitics is taking on new meanings and functions and perhaps its very definition will change; that migration and regional and global problems are changing and transforming the economic and social structures of countries; that there are more losers than winners in these changes; and that countries need to develop strategic approaches and policies instead of palliative and tactical ones.

Delivering the closing speech of the workshop, Prof. Dr. Nilüfer Narlı said that it had been a productive workshop and that the papers would be published as a book. Prof. Dr. Narlı also emphasized that, drawing on the views and papers presented at the workshop, she would provide the necessary introduction and presentation of the proposed solutions in this work and in her other academic articles.

Thanking the scientists, experts, NGO executives and everyone who contributed to the workshop, Cevdet Akay stated that, continuing to draw on the support of science and the TÜMBİKON Academic Board of more than 200 professors, they would tirelessly continue their work toward finding solutions to the country's problems.