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Istanbul's Bogazici University will host an international conference next week, with discussions on global competition in the Middle East, the reshaping of new trade networks, and current international developments.

The two-day conference, titled “Great Power Competition & the Middle East: Redrawing Trade Routes and Networks,” which begins on Monday, is organized by the university in collaboration with the PLUS Institute (the Austrian Institute for International Research and Development), Al Jazeera Centre for Studies, the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research (SETA) based in Ankara, Türkiye's capital, and the Center for Turkish Studies at Shanghai University.

At the conference, experts will discuss alternative trade routes such as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), and the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), as well as energy corridors, normative transformations, and regional cooperation.

Muhammad Ali Ucar, head of the PLUS Institute's Board of Trustees, emphasized the forum's critical timing, saying that the Middle East has become a focal point for the reconfiguration of global economic flows and strategic balances.

The conference will provide a unique opportunity to examine both the political implications of new trade routes and the reshaping of the normative order, Ucar added.

Selcuk Aydin, a Bogazici University faculty member, said that trade routes are now shaped not only by economic factors but also by ideological and security-driven alliances.

"In this context, the Middle East has emerged as a hub where both cooperation and competition are being redefined," Aydin said.

Professor Guo Chang-gang from Shanghai University stated that the Middle East has been a stage for great-power competition since antiquity, yet its civilizational resilience has endured through strong endogeneity.

The conference will critically examine how the region can transition from fragmentation to cooperation and redefine its role in building a new world order, Guo stressed, adding that its thematic focus is of profound significance.

Murat Yesiltas, professor and director of foreign policy studies at the SETA Foundation, underscored Türkiye's stabilizing role.

"Türkiye is central to this process—ensuring the security of trade routes while leveraging its robust infrastructure and energy hub status," Yesiltas noted.

Key session themes during the two-day conference include "Great Power Competition and Imperial Legacies: Questioning the Position of the Middle East," "Trade Routes (BRI, INSTC, and IMEC), Supply Chains and Strategic Competition: India, Russia, and China in Global Trade," "Europe at the Crossroads: Strategic Autonomy or Reinforcing the Western Alliance under the US Hegemony?" "From Fragmentation to Cooperation? Regional Initiatives vs Global Strategies in the Middle East," "Where the World is Heading: Changing Conflicts, Norms, and Hierarchies on the International Stage."

The conference will host academics, strategists, and researchers from Türkiye, Austria, Germany, China, Russia, Iran, Qatar, the UK, and France.

A closing roundtable, "Strategic Crossroads: The Middle East and the Emerging New World Order," aims to bring young scholars together with international experts and foster next-generation intellectual contributions.

The conference stands out as a significant international gathering, not only for its critical analysis of the Middle East’s future but also for showcasing Türkiye’s academic and intellectual capacity on the global stage.