مرتضی شکری

Sloped piano key weirs, by adjusting the inclination of their sidewalls, enable improved hydraulic performance under various conditions. These weirs, with appropriate slopes, demonstrate better performance than non-sloped weirs by storing more water during low-flow conditions and providing more effective discharge during floods. The flow discharge in sloped piano key weirs is proportional to the upstream head, which contributes to increased efficiency and safety of dams. Trapezoidal piano key weirs, given their high efficiency, are well-suited for complex hydraulic conditions such as floods and variable flows. This study examines the performance of trapezoidal piano key weirs in both sloped and non-sloped configurations. The experiments were conducted in a 15-meter-long channel with a width and height of 60 cm. The laboratory models included trapezoidal piano key weirs of type A with slopes of 0, 5, 7.5, and 10 degrees. To investigate the effect of slope direction, the piano key weirs were inclined both in the flow direction and against the flow direction and were tested under 9 different discharges. The results showed that sloped trapezoidal piano key weirs inclined against the flow, with over 75% of the weir crest length engaged, have a higher discharge coefficient compared to other models. The discharge coefficient in the weir with a 5-degree slope against the flow direction is on average 7% higher than that of the non-sloped weir. The results of this study indicate that a trapezoidal piano key weir with a 5-degree slope against the flow direction performs better under flood and low-flow conditions compared to a non-sloped trapezoidal piano key weir.

The Piano Key Weir (PKW), as a novel type of nonlinear weir, economically and reliably enhances the dam safety factor, water conveyance capacity, and flood storage volume by increasing the crest length compared to traditional sharp-crested linear weirs. However, the performance of these weirs decreases due to submergence in the outlet keys as the upstream water level rises. This study investigates the impact of sidewall slope on the discharge coefficient of rectangular PKWs. Experiments were conducted in the hydraulics laboratory of Bu-Ali Sina University using a flume measuring 15 meters in length, 60 centimeters in width, and height. The experimental models included type-A rectangular PKWs with sidewall slopes of 0, 5, 7.5, and 10 degrees, inclined both in the direction of flow and against it, tested across 9 different flow rates. The results indicated that rectangular PKWs with slopes against the flow direction, engaging over 80% of the weir crest length, had a higher discharge coefficient compared to other models. The discharge coefficient for the PKW with a 5-degree slope against the flow direction was, on average, 4% higher than that of the non-sloped weir. These findings suggest that adjusting the sidewall slope can enhance weir performance under both flood and non-critical conditions.

With the emergence of the industrialization era in the last three centuries, a new form of human social civilization emerged and developed named industrial civilization. This kind of civilization gradually replaced the agricultural civilization with low productivity. The common values, production and life patterns, forms of social organization, and institutional systems also changed dramatically during this process. Industrial civilization and the capitalist system resulting from it, despite creating substantial material wealth for human society, has led to the deterioration and destruction of the environment at the global level. Air and water pollution, water stress and drought, increasing warming of the global climate, and loss of biodiversity are the ongoing trends of human society in the industrial and modern era. This issue has increased the income gap between rich and poor countries. Under such conditions, humans need to review their way of dealing with nature, which is named in this article as environmental civilization. The question is how we can achieve an environmental civilization? The main idea of this article is that achieving an environmental civilization requires a fundamental change in the worldview at first step and, cooperation between all actors of human society in the next. The research method is based on "process tracing".

Comparison and analysis of Mowlânâ's and Eckhart Tolle's Solutions about the Crisis of Meaning The meaning of life is a concept related to the contemporary era. Traditional man lived in the shadow of a meaning that arose from religion and myth, and modern man sought meaning in science, reason and progress, but contemporary man - especially from the Second World War onwards – rejected the previous metanarratives is wandering in emptiness of meaninglessness. The crisis of meaning is the main preoccupation of the present time. The main issue of this research is how to treat senseless pain by referring to the ideas of Mowlânâ (672-604) and Eckhart Tolle (1948- ). In this regard, their opinions have been compared in a descriptive-analytical way. The results of the research show that Mowlânâ considers ego the main cause of human confusion and meaninglessness and introduces love as the most comprehensive treatment for existential diseases. The love that removes the meaninglessness by showing the passion of life and the sweetness of being, as well as seizing time and creating a new perspective in the lover's life. Tolle considers the conditioned mind, stereotyped thinking, captivity in the concept of time and inauthentic identity to be the main causes of the crisis of meaning in contemporary times, and to solve this crisis, he recommends living in the present moment. God is in the center of Mowlânâ's attention; But for Tolle, man is the original. Rumi's intended soul is similar to Tolle's intended mind. Mowlânâ's love is heavenly and directed to the God, and Tolle's love is directed to existence and all creatures.

In recent years, the share of renewables in the global energy basket has increased significantly. This will have geopolitical consequences, especially for a country like Iran, whose economy is largely dependent on fossil fuel revenues. By examining the transition process of the global and regional economy towards renewable and clean energy, this article tries to outline Iran's position in the energy transition perspective. The main question is: how will Iran position itself in the global energy transition outlook to 2050? Through scenario planning, the authors identified four possible scenarios, including "meeting sustainable development and transition to green gold", "gradual and independent transition to sustainable development and green gold", "development based on black gold" and "development locked with black gold". They cover a wide range of possible futures. By knowing these scenarios and comparing their desirability, policymakers will be able to properly assess the costs and opportunities of the transition to clean energy in different situations.s

The experience of the last few decades has shown that the Islamic Republic of Iran has not performed well in the field of human rights, managing the reflection of internal protests, and justifying its regional policies. Part of this problem is due to external factors and the efforts of the anti-Iranian front; but the role and influence of internal factors cannot be ignored. Lack of common understanding of national interests among policymakers and those responsible for managing the international image of the Islamic Republic, security-oriented foreign policy and cultural exchanges, lack of an independent and responsible national institution in the field of national image, lack of institutionalized and defined communication/ division of work between active institutions in the field of public diplomacy and Iran's international image and not having a long-term plan in the field of public diplomacy and managing Iran's international image have been one of the most important internal obstacles and challenges in creating a favorable image of Iran in the world. Institutionalizing, national branding, actualizing the capacity of Iranians abroad, appropriate and targeted management of cultural agencies, accurate geographical/cultural/political target audience, optimal use of virtual space and management of daily messages are some of the solutions presented in this article to improve Iran's international image management.

The Middle East is currently suffering from major environmental challenges such as drought and water stress, air pollution, deforestation and biodiversity and biodiversity loss. In many ways, this region is among the most vulnerable in the world to the potential effects of climate change and natural disasters. Environmental challenges may exacerbate existing social, environmental and economic pressures on sectors such as water, agriculture, infrastructure, health and tourism, and significantly impede efforts to achieve sustainable development goals in these countries. Since the impacts of environmental challenges do not recognize the country's borders, addressing them should also involve international cooperation. Considering the critical environmental conditions in the Middle East, how will the transition to sustainable development in the region be realized? The main idea of the article is that by advancing regional governance and cooperation, countries can tackle with the challenge of environmental change and achieve sustainable development. The aim of the article is to emphasize regional governance regimes as one of the most efficient solutions to overcome environmental challenges. The question is what will be the role of regional governance in advancing the transition towards sustainable development? The research findings are that considering that some West Asian countries have a common geography and natural resources and a common ecosystem, they can benefit from regional governance and cooperation, especially in the fields of policy coordination, agenda setting, technical assistance and capacity building and the use of financial leverage in the realization of sustainable development. The method was qualitative and based on Horizon scanning in future research.

New dynamics of power are emerging in the of Central Asia and the Caucasus region after the collapse of the Soviet Union which can be analyzed under the new power game conception. unlike the traditional great game, in this game many global and regional powers are competing. rise of Turkey and shaping smooth regional alliances, increasing economic investments by GCC countries and Israel in the region, as well as uncertainties about the future of the Iran-Russia-China axis, has created a new configuration of power game between regional and trans-regional powers. This article tries to analyze the geopolitical consequences for Iran in the future by identifying the megatrends of power dynamics in the Central Asia and Caucasus region. the question is that, what place will Iran have in the future of the geopolitical equations of the Central Asian region and the Caucasus? The hypothesis is that the continuation of regional security dynamics will lead to the decline of Iran's regional position. the method used in the article was based on trend analysis.

The economic developments of any country depend a lot on the dynamics of domestic and foreign policy, which is known under the concept of economic diplomacy. The Islamic Republic of Iran has a very diverse and complex economic structure. Despite various efforts to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) in the framework of development-oriented foreign policy, Iran still does not have a specific strategy in the field of economy and especially economic diplomacy. However, by pursuing active economic diplomacy, Iran can improve its geo-economic and geo-strategic position and manage the future of its economy in unstable conditions. This article tries to answer the question that how can economic diplomacy improve Iran's economic position in the future? The method of the article is based on horizon scanning. The hypothesis is that the Islamic Republic of Iran can get rid of the economic and geopolitical trap by taking advantage of its geopolitical and geostrategic position and relying on the capacities of human resources. Therefore, economic diplomacy is an effective way to increase economic growth and strengthen the country's economy in the conditions of economic sanctions.

This article deals with the geopolitical dynamics of Iraqi energy and the following political and economic developments in the future. The authors aim to analyze the megatrends in Iraq’s energy sector and its geopolitical consequences for Iran in the future. Iraq's strategy for diversifying energy imports, developing renewable energy infrastructure, expanding Foreign direct investments (FDI), At the same time, US pressure on Iraq to reduce its dependence on gas and electricity imported from Iran is one of the most important trends in the future of the country's energy market. The article seeks to answer this question: How will the current political and economic mega-trends in the Iraqi energy sector affect Iran's position in Iraq? The authors argue that the continuation of current Megatrends in Iraq’s energy sector will challenge Iran's exclusive geopolitical advantage in Iraq. The research method was based on trend analysis.

The wide-ranging nature of environmental issues, as well as the epistemological consensus on the urgency of threats to environmental degradation have led countries in recent decades to establish multiple regimes to address environmental issues under multilateral agreements. However, in practice, with a few exceptions, these regimes have not been very effective in terms of adaptability and compliance. The purpose of this article is to answer this question: “why despite the growing awareness of the international community about the threats posed by environmental degradation, the cooperation of governments in practice has been challenged? The authors argue that the different positions of countries in the international system have led to the formation of systems of different cognitive correlations and collective identities among them resulting in differences in the degree of institutionalization of environmental values and reduced effective cooperation of governments in effective regimes to address these threats. The research method is based on counterfactual conditionals.

To do research, authors based on constructivist analysis framework, use “counterfactual argument” as a methodological tool for explaining international environmental regimes. Counterfactuals make claims about events that did not actually occur. It is argued in this paper that such propositions play a necessary and fundamental, if often implicit and underdeveloped, role in the efforts of scientists to assess their hypotheses about the causes of the phenomena they study. The argument is that if environmental values and norms were sufficiently institutionalized in countries, the effectiveness of environmental cooperation and regimes would increase.

While today states may show an increasing readiness to accept that global environmental protection is a common concern of humankind, they do not yet constitute a community that, in the spirit of international solidarity and justice, acts in concert for achieving this end. States are still far from taking joint protective and remedial environmental action that suffices to achieve the aim of preserving and administering our common natural heritage for the benefit of the present and future generations.The basic ideas of international solidarity and justice should constitute the theoretical starting point for constructing an international legal framework of environmental and developmental cooperation between the North and South. However, both perceptions, because of their abstractness and vagueness, only give some rough direction to the way in which both sides should shape their future inter-relationship in substantive and procedural terms. Therefore, they should be understood as sources for developing more meaningful instruments that might bridge the North-South divide in practice.Despite the spread of international institutions and regimes –which are mostly created after "The United Nations Conference on the Human Environment" in Stockholm (1972) - they have failed to minimize the threats posed by destructive environmental practices. In other words, despite the global consensus on the dangers of environmental degradation, state cooperation has not been successful in practice except in a few cases, such as the Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer regime, the Antarctic Convention, and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). That is, many international agreements have either been incompletely ratified, or except a few cases, countries' compliance rates are weak in practice. Two groups of international relations scholars have responded to this question. The first group is those who, in the context of mainstream theories or rationalists, believe that anarchy and its consequences, such as free-riding, is a major factor in reducing the incentives for governments to cooperate on environmental issues. Critical approaches, by contrast, argue that the international system is not anarchic, but rather is hierarchical in nature. In this system, capitalist countries are at the top and developing countries are at the bottom. Contrary to the above approaches, this article argues that the problem of inefficiency of environmental cooperation is due to the lack of institutionalization of environmental values. The authors believe that countries have a different definition and understanding of the status of environmental threats due to their different position in the international system. This perception has led to differences in the institutionalization of environmental values and the reduction of effectiveness of international environmental regimes, like “sustainable development”, “common but differentiated responsibilities”, “equitable participation”, and etc. Findings show that by changing the perceptions and understanding about the nature and environment, as well as by implementing reforms in the mechanisms and processes of decision-making system, it is possible to help improve the efficiency of environmental regimes.

The North and South country's issues due to their position in the international system, do not have enough consensus on environmental principles and norms. During international negotiations, although they have had a minimal consensus on the enactment of these norms, it varies from commitment to these norms according to the internal conditions of countries. However, we should not consider the ineffectiveness of the international environmental regimes as unlikely. The successful environmental regimes, such as the ozone layer or the ruling regime on the Rhine River, show any progress in the effectiveness of environmental regimes is due to the approach of states' definition of the situation. According to that, if South and North countries converge their perceptions of the natural system, they can gradually take effective practical steps to form effective governance in the field of environmental issues.

In contemporary times, man has faced deep existential crises after experiencing great historical shocks—the Renaissance, the religious reform movement, the scientific revolution, the Enlightenment, and the First and Second World Wars. The main crisis is the crisis of life being empty of meaning that gives purpose and value to human life. In this research, the ideas of Abu Saeed Abu al-Khair (357-440 AH) and Krishna Murti (1895-1986 AD) have been studied descriptively-analytically to find solutions for getting out of the crisis of meaninglessness. The focal issue of this research is to find the meaning to live, with a focus on the teachings of Abu Saeed and Krishna and analyzing the differences and similarities of their views in this regard. The results show that Abu Saeed Abu al-Khair considers selfishness, absence of love, and lack of a genuine life as the main causes of existential crises in human life, especially the crisis of meaninglessness. His strategies for overcoming this crisis are avoiding narcissism and showing sincerity and genuine love. According to Krishna Murti, a conditioned mind loaded with knowledge, absence of love in life, and not discovering the individual truth are the causes of the crisis of meaninglessness in human life. Krishna saw freedom from knowledge and the known, creation of love in life, and discovery of personal truth as the solutions to this crisis. According to Abu Saeed, "selfishness" and "not having a genuine life" and according to Krishna, "absence of love" and "failure to discover individual truth" are, in fact, different interpretations of the same reality. The presence of God in Abu Saeed Abu al-Khair’s teachings and His absence in Krishna’s thoughts is the main difference in the views of these two mystics.

This article, demonstrate uses of Membrane Bio Reactors in municipal landfills. Because of daily increasing sweeping amounts and no balance between generation and recycling of them in the most part of the world, type of management and gathering of sweeping has challenged. Thus hygienic burial method for generated sweeping is one of the applied methods in many countries. Hence, monitoring and management of productive leachate of municipal landfills to prevent underground water and soil from pollutant is obligatory.

In this study, some modern Membrane Bio Reactors in municipal landfill were investigated. Then, advantages, defects, and application of each ones have been considered. Therefore, recent articles and researches about biodegrading of leachate were studied.

Among the various methods of biological treatment, complex system method is one of the effective and strong approaches to treatment and biodegrading of wastewaters. Finally, to showing active carbon action for prevention of membranes fouling, two aerobic pilots with equal conditions were compared. Also, clearing the important parameters of wastewater contaminants such as COD and NH3-N in the presence of granular activated carbon was compared.

In order to treatment of municipal landfills leachate lots of methods with strengths and weaknesses is used. With investigation and Feasibility of municipal landfill site, the most efficient and effective method in terms of performance and cost based on need can be selected.
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The formation of the secondary flows is caused by the non-prismatic nature of the main channel and floodplains in the compound channel and the intense interaction of the low-velocity flow of the floodplains in passing over the high-velocity flow of the main channel. So far, comprehensive studies on changing the divergence angle of floodplains have not been done as a numerical and physical model, and due to the effectiveness of this parameter, its study is necessary. In the present study, using the three-dimensional Ansys-Fluent model, simulation was performed based on the standard k-ε turbulence model and VOF method for the hydraulic flow in compound channel with divergent floods for five divergence angles of 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15° and in three sections of 2, 8 and 14 m. The boundary conditions used in this research were the input limit of the mass flow rate, the output boundary as a pressure outlet, the solid boundaries as a non-slip wall without roughness and the upper boundary of the channel as a non-slip wall without roughness. The results of accurately predicting the average depth velocity in the section Z = 14 m of the channel showed that in all sections of the channel, the modeling results were within the allowable error range defined for numerical models, indicating the appropriate matching of laboratory and simulation results. The results showed that the maximum velocity in the channel occurs with a divergence angle of 3° and the higher the divergence angle, the lower the velocity. Moreover, the maximum shear stress in the channel is with a divergence angle of 3° and the minimum shear stress is in the divergence angle is 15°. The lower the water angle, the higher the divergence angle, and the higher the divergence angle, the lower the water height.

Compound channels form the cross section of many rivers, especially in adjacent areas of residential and agricultural areas. Investigation of hydraulic behavior of compound channels is of great importance in floodplain control and river management plans. In this study, by modeling a concrete compound channel with Ansys Fluent software using k-ε turbulence model and VOF method, shear stress and average flow velocity in compound channel with divergent floodplains were determined for different divergence angles. Also, the boundary conditions for flow in the studied channel are defined as input mass flow rate, output limit as pressure outlet, solid boundaries as non-slip and rough wall and upper channel boundary as non-slip and rough wall. The modeling and comparison between the laboratory data and the results of the present study showed that the maximum velocity in the channel occurs with a divergence angle of 3 degrees and with increasing the divergence angle, the flow velocity also decreases. In addition to, maximum of shear stress in the compound channel occurs with a lower divergence angle; In other words, as the divergence angle of the floodplain increases, the amount of shear stress of the fluid also decreases.

Todays, the application of science and advanced technologies, the management of quality risks imposed on environmental resources, has particular importance. Considering the toxicity of wastewater agricultural, industrial, and domestic effluents on the environment, a thorough and separate study of the toxic wastewater treatment and contaminated water, in general, seems necessary to complete the non-destructive development process. In this regard, to recover compounds containing heavy metals and pollutants such as copper, in wastewater containing harmful fertilizers and pesticides, the production of nanofibers (polymer nanoparticles) in the form of electrospray (under four treatments of solute concentration, applied voltage, Injection Needle and Injection rate), using electrospinning machine and selected polymeric Polyacrylamide Methacrylate and Dimethylmethyl Formamide solvent with using the low-cost raw materials approach for the selected hazardous pollutants. The nanoparticle production technology was used in the form of wire blasting (under four concentrations of nanoparticle solution concentration, the diameter of carbon wires used, flow and arc force), also. Finally, by extracting the results in each phase, their analysis was carried out and the results showed that the combination of the polymer treatment with dimethylformamide solvent at 25 wt%, applied voltage kV. 30, the distance between the tip of the needle and the plate 15 cm and the feeding rate of 2 ml / h worked best. Thus, with the preparation of nanofibers and the use of relatively inexpensive laboratory materials, compared to the costly methods of water treatment, significant results were observed in the process of removal of toxic copper > 50% in all selected samples indicated a positive and high effect of the nanoparticles-nanofibers.

Most of the theories used in analyzing foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran are based on “Appetite " or "Reason" anthropology. While the logic of Iran's foreign policy in certain issues, such as the nuclear conflict with the West, cannot be analyzed solely on the basis of Appetite and Reason drives such as security and power. In this regard, “A cultural theory of international relations” can provide a framework for analysis of the Ideational aspects of Iran’s foreign policy as it seeks the basis of the international politics in the spirit drive. The question is that, what is the basis of some courageous behaviors of Iran’s foreign policy, in particular it’s nuclear dispute with the West, which has affected the impulses of gaining power and security? By applying of the philosophical anthropology of “A cultural theory of international relations”, we can state this hypothesis that Iran’s foreign policy particularly its nuclear diplomacy is spirit-based. On this basis, the logic and basis for nuclear diplomacy can be analyzed on the basis of two instruments of, aimed at Self-esteem.

Non-commercial and peaceful application of valid and advanced international technologies compatible with human and environmental health, for the complete and scientific treatment of toxic contaminants imposed on clean water resources, for optimal use of the ultimate blessings of the absolute Creator (GOD) of the world, and the elimination of human self-made problems has a particular importance. For this purpose, in the present study, a descriptive and cross-sectional study was performed on the Hamadan wastewater treatment plant operating with an activated sludge treatment system from December to February 2018-2019. In the evaluation of the treatment plant, five quality parameters of inlet and outlet wastewater were measured twice a day and in total six times per month. Then, while analyzing the results by SPSS software, graphs of these parameters were plotted with Excel software. The results showed a relative decrease of 96.27%, 20.20%, 96.11%, 94.23% and 7.16% of TSS, COD, BOD, NTU and pH parameters, respectively. As a result, the treated wastewater, due to its very low acidic properties, can be used in the electric power industry. Also, despite the permissible short-term use of contaminated wastewater in agriculture and the environment, further international validation of their application is essential for the sensitivity of the risk to the increasingly catastrophic and irreparable carcinogenicity of incomplete wastewater treatment.

Environmental degradation and its threats have become global in recent decades. To deal with these threats, International cooperation has been developed in the form of international conventions and agreements. However, international cooperation, in spite of the mandatory guidelines in various conventions, has not been successful in practice. The purpose of this article is to explain a critical Interpretation of the barriers to effective government cooperation on global environmental issues based on the of Neo-Gramscianism approach in international relations. The question is the question is why international environmental cooperation, in spite of growing awareness of environmental threats, has failed in practice and environmental challenges remain as unresolved international issues yet? In answer to this question, Neo-Gramscianism, while challenge both the centrality of the nation state and the underlying principle of anarchy in understanding and explaining international politics as a factor in reducing the incentive for state cooperation, argue that international politics is an area in which global capitalist forces which have generated a hierarchical international system. . For this reason, they believe that the any structure of regime’s cooperation between states, including environmental regimes, has been shaped by the interests of hegemony and the forces of the global capital (the historical block) Related to it.

Turkey's foreign policy was initially formed based on non-interference in the internal affairs of its neighborhood countries and the periphery region. However, after the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union, and consequently the emergence of developments such as the new republics in Central Asia, the expansion of the idea of ​​democracy and the change in the security balance of the region, the foreign policy of Turkey changed. As a result, peripheral regions such as Eurasia, which were previously not in the top priority of Turkish foreign policy, found a special role in the country's diplomatic relations.
The development of Turkish foreign policy has been so dramatic that some have called it the new Turkey. The new foreign policy, the architect of which is Ahmet Davutoglu, is based on two principles, “Zero problems with neighbors” and “Maximum cooperation.” In the new Turkish foreign policy doctrine, foreign policy officials believe that Turkey has strategic depth due to its geographic and historical location. For this reason, it should be ranked as a unique country and be considered a central power. The doctrine believes that Turkey should take the lead in its peripheral regions and gain its strategic global significance. Therefore, Turkey must establish friendly relations with its neighbors and resolve its differences with them. Turkey's most important goal in this framework is to achieve the highest degree of convergence and cooperation with its neighbors.
One of the most important peripheries in Turkish foreign policy after the collapse of the Soviet Union is the Central Eurasia region. An overview of Turkey's foreign policy in the first decade after the collapse of the Soviet Union shows that its foreign policy was based on the cultural and ideological policies towards the Central Eurasia region. But after the Justice and Development Party, which played a significant role in improving the Turkish economy, economic issues became the top priority of its foreign policy. In this regard, Turkey's competitive foreign policy (ideological competition with the countries of the region, including Russia, Georgia, and Armenia) has changed to cooperation with its neighbors. The main question of the article is, what was the most important economic factor affecting the activation of Turkey's foreign policy towards the Eurasian region after the rise of the Justice and Development Party? The hypothesis is that some issues related to the energy sector, such as providing energy needs, turning to be corridors, energy hubs, and energy security, have been the most important factors in taking Turkey's active orientation towards Central Eurasia.
This article, by using the regionalism approach, analyzes Turkey's foreign policy toward the Eurasian region. We can divide the regionalism of Turkey's foreign policy in different periods. In the first period that included the term of Kamal Ataturk's Presidency (1923-1939), Turkish foreign policy followed the principle of the traditional balance of power-peace, peace at home, peace in the world. In the second period (after World War II until the collapse of the Soviet Union) membership of the Council of Europe (1949) and NATO (1959) and ensuring the security of the West in the region was the main concern of Turkey’s foreign policy. Under these conditions, the main objectives of Turkish foreign policy, as well securing the West, was to confront the danger and influence of communism and maintain Israel's security. The third period of regionalism in Turkish foreign policy has continued since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Under this condition, the Eurasian region that has an important strategic and geopolitical role in energy, has become attractive for Ankara officials.
On the one hand the strategic role of Eurasia and the shortage of energy resources in Turkey and the increasing oil and gas consumption in this country, has made this region more important for turkeys officials.
There are some parameters that expose Turkey’s geopolitical and geo-economical significance in terms of Eurasian energy geopolitics.
- Turkey is located in a region that contains 71 percent of the World’s natural gas reserves and 72 percent of all oil reserves.1
- By 2012, 6-7 percent of the World’s oil demands are expected to be transported through Turkey.2
- Basic figures indicate Turkey’s significance for the Caspian Energy Basin.
- The Caspian Energy Basin contains 4 percent (200 billion barrels) of the World’s oil reserves and 5 percent (180 trillion m³) of all natural gas reserves. Therefore it is of outstanding importance.
So the targets16 of the Turkish Energy Policies can be summarized as:- To become an energy corridor (Not only between the East and West but also between the North and South).
- Utilizing its geopolitical location to become a transit country and the 4th main arterial road and to integrate with EU energy markets.
- To become an energy hub and make Ceyhan a significant port just like Amsterdam in the long term. To make Ceyhan the energy distribution center of global energy markets.
In a nutshell, Turkey’s energy strategy is aimed to cover the energy needs independently, at least on paper. The theoretical backgrounds for above mentioned targets are ready and are waiting to be practiced. As a result, we can say that the dependency in Turkish energy policies and increasing energy demands are major factor for its foreign policy toward Eurasia. Considering that Turkey has a strategic position in the transit of oil and gas resources to Europe, it can gain huge profits from the Eurasia region. Furthermore, Eurasia provides Turkey accessibility to new consumption markets; therefore, it seems Central Asia will be more important for Turkey in the future.