ASPER-HUJI Innovate’s Post

✍🏼I recently co-authored an article with Denisa Hejlová, reflecting on a roundtable discussion that explored unique geopolitical insights between the Czech Republic and Japan. Despite the vast distances, these nations share strikingly similar geopolitical concerns, as highlighted by Professor Yuichi Hosoya. Jan Sýkora and Pavlína Stachová delved into the role of strategic communication and the Indo-Pacific’s influence on global politics, providing rich insights. Their discussions highlighted the importance of international cooperation and illustrated the impact of geopolitical strategies on our everyday lives. 🔗 Explore the full article for more insights: https://lnkd.in/gTjDChvk #Geopolitics #StrategicCommunication #CzechRepublic #Japan #GlobalDialogue

Turkic States Forge New Paths: Redefining Relations Beyond Russia's Shadow 🌐✊ #turkicunity #eurasianshift This article by Luke Coffey marks a pivotal moment as Turkic states strengthen their collective identity and economic ties, stepping beyond Russia's longstanding influence. It underscores a strategic reorientation in Eurasia, with implications for regional power dynamics and global geopolitics. #turkiccouncil #strategicautonomy 📖 Full read here: https://lnkd.in/dT7QxsDq

From enabling ICT and the digital lives many of us take for granted, to establishing interconnections for transnational energy grids crucial for decarbonization and emissions reduction strategies, undersea cables are the unglamorous but essential physical infrastructure we all need to pay a lot more attention to. I support this important and timely work.

At the end of May, I participated in the International Eurasian Conference 2024 "Rise of Regionalism in Eurasia" on "Kazakhstan's role as an Active Architect in Eurasian Geopolitcs". In my presentation, I wanted to move away from the approach of viewing Central Asian countries as the object of major players, and to view more Central Asian countries as actors that can also make strategic decisions. The most striking example is Kazakhstan's decision to actively promote the Middle Corridor, whatever the desire of external actors to develop this route, it would be of little use without Kazakhstan's desire to develop the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route. A second example is the prioritization of various regional organizations such as the CIS, SCO, and CSTO in the speeches of Putin and Tokayev in the interviews of both leaders before Putin's visit to Kazakhstan last year. At that time it was clear how Putin put more emphasis on the CSTO, but Tokayev spoke more often about the current role of the SCO in the Eurasian space. In my presentation, I decided to analyze the key topics that Kazakhstan actively promoted in summits with Russia, China, the EU, and Turkey (we are talking about the latest summit of the Organisation of Turkic States). At the end of the presentation, I concluded that Kazakhstan's main interests in working with external players, including in promoting transport projects, are as follows: •China: attracting investment (from 2013 to 2018 it invested about 24 billion dollars); •EU: attracting investments to avoid overdependence on China (at this stage, the EU plans to invest €3 billion in Central Asia); •Russia: securing the functioning of transportation corridors and expanding business activity with access to the European and Chinese markets; •Türkiye and the Organization of Turkic States: creating a framework for more simplified movement of goods through transit countries along the Middle Corridor. Many thanks to Yaşar Sarı and to my colleagues from the Haydar Aliyev Center for Eurasian Studies for inviting me.

*🇨🇭President Amherd visits Japan: Op-ed in Nikkei newspaper* Discover the key take-aways of President Amherd’s visit to Japan in her op-ed article published by Nikkei : ▶️ Switzerland and Japan have maintained bilateral relations for 160 years, and the presidential trip is intended to further strengthen this blossoming #partnership, which is founded on #business and rooted in shared #values. ▶️ Both countries maintain strong #economic ties, supported by the Free Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement of 2009. Switzerland is Japan's 8th largest foreign investor, and Japan ranks 9th for Swiss investments, thanks to Switzerland’s high-performing innovation ecosystem. ▶️ #Science and #academia are also key, with Japan being Switzerland’s largest research partner in Asia. Collaboration areas include #AI, #quantum computing, green technologies, and #space exploration. ▶️ Against the backdrop of an unstable geopolitical landscape, shared values like #freedom, #democracy, and #peaceful conflict resolution are crucial, underscored by joint efforts in the UN Security Council and a commitment to peace in Ukraine. Switzerland is a member of the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC), whose main task is to monitor compliance with the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement. ▶️ President Amherd’s meetings in #Japan, with Foreign Minister Kamikawa, Prime Minister Kishida, and Defence Minister Kihara, focused on the further development of friendly ties between Switzerland and Japan, prospects in Europe and East Asia, the global #security architecture and on fostering economic prosperity, and advancing scientific progress. ▶️ Her visit culminated today with an audience meeting with His Majesty the Emperor. President Amherd concludes her message with a positive outlook on our bilateral relationship: “An even brighter, future-defining friendship between Japan and Switzerland lies within our reach.” The op-ed article here (Japanese): https://lnkd.in/dcqExtKp Further information on the visit here : https://lnkd.in/dYePFFdE

We are thrilled to share that Prof. Raghu led an impactful discussion on "Artificial Intelligence in Diplomacy" at Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania. His insights continue to inspire innovation and global collaboration in the realm of AI. Thanks to Prof. Raghu for representing GITAA! #TeamGITAA #trainingatgitaa #machinelearning #datascience #datascientist #Tanzania #GITAA

Turkic Unity: A Strategic Balance in Central Asia 🌐⚖️ #turkicstates #geostrategicbalance Muhammet Ali Güler highlights the significance of a united Turkic front in establishing a geopolitical equilibrium between Russia and China in Central Asia. This unity, rooted in shared cultural and historic ties, offers a promising alternative to dominance by external powers, fostering a more independent and balanced regional influence. #centralasia #turkicunity 📖 Full read here: https://lnkd.in/dzray-k3

In a special #webinar, Wikistrat CEO Oren Kesler and #Eurasia and #EastAsia expert Dr. Richard Weitz discussed the recent #Putin-#Xi summit and took an in-depth look into the Sino-Russian relationship. Watch the recording here:

Gave a special lecture last night at Democritus University of Thrace in Komotini, Greece, "China's Geostrategic Worldview and Its Implications for International Relations. Flew from Athens to Alexandroupolis then drove to Komotini. It's fair to say great power competition and global crises can be observed directly in many if not most parts of the world today, but that's certainly the case here. My hosts were very gracious and local media very kind, all but obscuring a couple of US government affiliated professors who objected to me coming. On the drive in we passed a US base connected in some way to attack helicopters. We also passed a port that received its highest bid from #china, before bidding was cancelled because the US was opposed. Now it's used according to local sources to ship weapons to #ukraine, including tanks. For many kilometers I saw hillsides charred from the massive fires that raged uncontrolled his last year, and a new natural gas pipeline ready to supply #bulgaria if it decides to quit buying Russian energy. Being near the Turkish border, there's still a lot of local anger given the historical relationship, and many Greeks here were formerly living in Turkey but forced to relocate when the exchanges occurred decades ago. There is however a significant historical Turkish population in Komotini--an exception--and one can hear the Muslim call to prayer during the day. They coexist with Greek Orthodox, but the older generations don't mix much. There remains a significant local concern that Turkey wants to invade and annex Greece, though this is certainly not something that all people believe. In these contexts my lecture was a great fit. I started by discussing the challenges of #climatechange and efforts to mitigate these at home and abroad through building an ecological civilization, and then moved onward to discuss sovereignty and security concerns related to #taiwan, #tibet, #xinjiang, and the South China Sea. We likewise discussed #brics, #bri, #ndb, #aiib, #rcep, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization #sco, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative. We highlighted China's relations with Central Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, and discussed prospects with Europe given Trump's return to office. We discussed the prospects for a shared future for humanity. Great lecture hall, engaged audience, positive experience. Hope to return. The local cuisine is fantastic, and everyone here knows it!