The London Energy Club - Chair
By Mehmet Öğütçü and Rainer Geiger The Middle East, scarred by years of political instability and economic upheaval, finds itself at a critical juncture. The crises in Syria and Lebanon lay bare the region’s fragility in stark terms. Yet, within this profound crisis lies a unique opportunity to rebuild the Middle East anew. No single
Assad is gone, but I believe toughest challenge for Syria is just beginning. Israel has virtually obliterated the country’s military capabilities and occupied the Golan Heights and surrounding water and agricultural resources. The civil war has crippled infrastructure and production facilities. The Sunni majority, fractured into dozens of factions, has claimed power and prayed in
As a diplomat, businessman, and traveler, I have visited 135 countries. In many of them, I have lived and worked, observing different cultures, languages, social structures, and lifestyles firsthand. I reflected on these experiences in my book Life is a Journey. Wherever I went, the reality I encountered was the same: a large portion of
Like many others, I have been watching Türkiye’s policies regarding immigrants, refugees, and foreigners, especially the citizenship process, with growing concern for a long time. The lack of transparency, ambiguous statistics, and the failure to clearly articulate the purpose of the pursued policies have transformed this process into one of the worst examples in the
Despite the considerable excitement surrounding Turkey’s potential BRICS membership, the outcome has yielded little of substance. Alongside Algeria, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam, Turkey has been designated merely as a “partner” within BRICS. The anticipated full membership, which sparked debates about a possible shift away from the West,
We are growing increasingly tired of repeating the same refrain. The world is indeed undergoing a profound transformation in its energy landscape. Countries across the globe are striving to reduce carbon emissions, driven by a shared desire to safeguard our planet and future generations. Global attention has shifted towards lessening dependence on fossil fuels—oil, natural
Discussions about Türkiye-Iran relations often begin by emphasizing that the borders between the two countries have remained unchanged since the 1639 Treaty of Zuhab. This enduring stability is symbolic of the deep historical ties, political stability, and respect for the status quo despite centuries of fluctuating relations. Beyond the Sunni-Shia divide, these long-standing ties have
As the world rapidly returns to a period defined by traditional power balances and violence, it is imperative that we strengthen ourselves across all domains, from the economy and military power to science, technology, art, culture, and the quality of human capital. To achieve this, we must urgently resolve our internal issues and focus on
The Middle East has long been a stage for wars, assassinations, massacres, and occupations. As long as I can remember, the region has been ensnared in a spiral of violence, with no signs of improvement in the foreseeable future. On the contrary, the question arises whether the Third World War will be ignited from this