Recent Developments in the Middle East at Diplomat School 3

The first week of the Diplomat School 3 certificate program organized by the Bahçeşehir University School of Government and Leadership took place on Saturday, 19 November 2011, at Bahçeşehir University's Beşiktaş campus.

The program, attended by Chief Advisor to the Prime Minister and Public Diplomacy Coordinator of the Prime Ministry of the Republic of Türkiye Assoc. Prof. Dr. İbrahim Kalın, Head of the Bahçeşehir University Department of Political Science and International Relations Prof. Dr. Mert Bilgin and Retired Ambassador Dr. Onur Öymen, touched on many topics ranging from international relations to public diplomacy and from Türkiye's energy policies to recent developments in the Middle East.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. İbrahim Kalın said, "We must assess whether we are merely spectators of the course of history or whether we have the self-confidence to be makers of history ourselves." He stated that the Cold War mentality of "those around me must be weak for me to be strong" is now a thing of the past, and that if we are to be strong, the actors around us must also be strong and development must be achieved together. Saying that the principle of justice must come first among the principles shaping foreign policy, Kalın said, "A definition of national interest that does not include justice is neither national nor in our interest."

Prof. Dr. Mert Bilginstated that being an oil and gas route is geopolitically important for a country but does not mean stability. Giving Ukraine as an example, Bilgin emphasized that Ukraine, an energy hub, is today neither rich nor powerful. Saying that natural gas will be a very important energy source over the next twenty years, Bilgin explained that four and a half million cubic meters of natural gas pass through Türkiye daily, corresponding to 5% of global energy transit. He therefore pointed out that operating this energy transit under proper conditions is highly important and that, if operated correctly, it will be a great advantage for Türkiye.

In the first session, Dr. Onur Öymen shared his views on the European Union-Türkiye negotiation process and subsequent developments. Öymen said: "The EU should not be read only as an economic union. Because if we evaluate it solely from this perspective, it is very clear that the EU's economic importance is decreasing. The EU must be examined from the perspective of world politics, because the EU is not only an economic union but also a political union." Discussing the problems the European Union faces today, Öymen stated that Türkiye should evaluate its European Union journey differently from this point on. In the second session, assessing recent developments in the Middle East and particularly the situation with Syria, Öymen emphasized that keeping Türkiye away from war at all times is the greatest skill..