Kanal Istanbul: Pipedream or Politics ?
This paper examines Kanal Istanbul, a plan proposed by recently re-elected Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to bypass the Bosphorus Strait by creating a canal west of Istabul.
Istanbul has a history of grandeur. From the Byzantines to the Ottomans, the city of Istanbul has been designed as, in the words used by Emperor Napoleon, the capital of the world. There was a sense of grandeur, too, when Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, announced the construction of a canal to a bypass the Bosphorus Straits, the maritime highway that bisects the City of Istanbul and brings ships from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea and vice versa. Named Kanal Istanbul, Erdogan proposed the project during his re-election campaign less than two months before the general election as a way to relieve stress from Turkey’s prized city and solve some of the nation's most pressing issues.
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Kanal Istanbul: Pipedream or Politics ?
Center for Energy & Climate
Ifri's Energy and Climate Center carries out activities and research on the geopolitical and geoeconomic issues of energy transitions such as energy security, competitiveness, control of value chains, and acceptability. Specialized in the study of European energy/climate policies as well as energy markets in Europe and around the world, its work also focuses on the energy and climate strategies of major powers such as the United States, China or India. It offers recognized expertise, enriched by international collaborations and events, particularly in Paris and Brussels.
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