East-West Forum in Istanbul to debate multipolarity and global order

The end of the post-Cold War unipolar world order and the need to redesign the global system are bringing international thinkers and strategists together in Istanbul.

Organised in partnership between Harici Media and the Berlin-based think tank European Transcontinental Initiative (ETI), the East-West Forum (EWF) will convene on 26 September 2026 at the Akatlar Cultural Centre.

Pursuing an independent and non-partisan course, ETI will focus on Europe’s role in a multipolar world in the light of the principles of equality before the law, social responsibility, subsidiarity, federalism, freedom, and social justice.

The forum will focus on simultaneous paradigm shifts such as resource scarcity, climate stress, overpopulation, trade wars, global rearmament races, the artificial intelligence revolution, regional conflicts, and the dysfunction of the United Nations system.

Against the conventional approaches of the G7 and G20 frameworks – which reduce progress solely to technology, recognise power only in states, and do not question capitalism – the EWF will seek heterodox answers, develop alternative social and political concepts, and aim to “debate the impossible”.

Advocating an economic model that serves human beings and respects nature, the organisation will aim to construct a realistic utopia for the 21st century.

Seeking to offer an alternative to traditional security conferences held in Western capitals that interpret the world entirely through a Western-centric lens, the initiative draws its inspiration from the earliest map of Europe, dated 1534.

Aiming to revive this historical perspective – facing East yet standing firmly on Eurasian ground – the forum will open discussions on building a constructive bridge of dialogue between Western countries, BRICS, and the Global South, and, in the long term, on a mediating European identity possessing strategic autonomy beyond the borders of the European Union.

🌐 East-West Forum 26 Eylül’de İstanbul’da!

📍 ABD’den Çin’e, Avrupa’dan Orta Doğu’ya, Rusya’dan İran’a uzanan geniş bir coğrafya İstanbul’da buluşuyor

💬 15 ülkeden 20’yi aşkın seçkin konuşmacı, değişen küresel düzeni, yeni güç dengelerini ve geleceğin güvenlik mimarisini… pic.twitter.com/0n2wmoTom9

— harici (@haricitr) September 1, 2026

Opening panel to debate the end of the liberal order

Following the official opening at 10:00, the conference will begin with the first plenary session moderated by Prof. Ulrike Guérot.

The opening panel, titled “The World in Transition: Multipolarity and the End of the Liberal Order”, will feature Prof. Zhang Weiwei, Prof. Glenn Diesen, Anatol Lieven, and Prof. Jagannath Panda as speakers, with the initial assessment delivered by an official from the Papal Representation.

The panel will examine the consequences of liberal exceptionalism and its capacity to penetrate other cultures, imposed globally by the US since 1989.

The loss of memory and cultural depth experienced by deep-rooted civilisations during colonial and neo-colonial processes, the concept of the “civilisation-state”, and the possibility of carrying pre-modern traditions into the 21st century will be addressed.

Participants will discuss the extent to which the EU reflects European philosophical roots such as Christianity, the Enlightenment, modernity, and peace; the effects of the US on EU architecture; and the role of a neutral Europe as a global mediator.

Assessments will also consider whether rising actors such as China, Russia, India, Iran, and Brazil can rebuild the state as a protector of the public good; how China’s concept of order, prioritising harmony over hegemony and equality over coercion, can be institutionalised with the UN Charter; and the possibilities for transitioning to an equitable partnership.

Experts to discuss escalating war risks and Eurasian security

Beginning at 11:55 under the moderation of Prof. Hasan Ünal, the second plenary session will carry the theme “Escalating Tensions: Preventing a Devastating World War – Co-constructing and Peacefully Institutionalising a New Order”.

The panel will feature Prof. Zhou Bo, Daniel L. Davis, Michael von der Schulenburg, Alexander Shenderyuk-Zhidkov, and Ali Asghar Soltanieh as speakers, while Roger Köppel will deliver the session’s opening evaluation.

The session will focus on the risk of tensions between the West and BRICS or Global South nations escalating into a global war due to blocked diplomatic channels, the absence of arms control mechanisms, and AI-enabled warfare methods.

The possibilities of a balanced Eurasian security architecture covering both Ukraine and the Middle East (Palestine, Israel, Iran, Lebanon, Syria) will be addressed.

Panellists will examine whether Russia can serve as an East-West bridge while preserving its European identity, the EU’s militarist escalation spiral and potential disintegration, the future of the UN Charter, and the threats posed by unmanned aerial vehicles and robotic warfare.

The discussion will also analyse the protection of the civilian sphere against neurological and information warfare, the role of middle powers such as Türkiye in an era shaped by the decline of 500 years of Western hegemony, the necessity for the US to transition from a military empire to a nation-state, Iran’s regional position, concrete regional stability projects of the Gulf Cooperation Council such as water desalination, and the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement.

Discussions to focus on the quest for European autonomy

Following the lunch break, the third plenary session will commence at 14:20 under the direction of Isabelle Casel.

In the panel titled “Europe Beyond the EU and Its Philosophical Foundations: Atlanticism, Eurasia, and Strategic Autonomy”, presentations will be delivered by Hauke Ritz, Thomas Fazi, Prof. Dragana Mitrović, and Georges Renard-Kuzmanovic, with Walter Komarek speaking as the first commentator.

The session will focus on the strategic future of Europe, which currently lacks the character of an independent actor in the global balance of power yet remains vital to establishing a multipolar world.

Discussions will address how Europe can break free from the transatlantic framework, regain its digital sovereignty against US-centred digital platforms, and build long-neglected deep ties with Eurasia, Asia, BRICS, and the Global South.

While trade and energy flows across the Eurasian continent are examined, questions will be raised over the locking down of European state institutions, media, universities, and churches in ways that impede alternative debate.

Panellists will examine proposals to generate an alternative to the American conception of progress based purely on technological advancement by reviving humanism, Enlightenment philosophy, labour movements, and the mixed economy tradition, as well as constraining uncontrolled AI and genetic engineering through balances established with the East.

Panellists to examine regional proxy wars and the Gaza crisis

The fourth and final plenary session of the day will convene at 16:00, moderated by Pascal Lottaz, under the title “Examining the Details: From the Big Picture to the Realities and Prospects of Regional Proxy Wars”.

With Muhammad Shehada, Prof. Richard Sakwa, Andrew Day, and Prof. Abdullah Baabood serving as speakers, the initial evaluation will be presented by Ahmed Moustafa.

The panel will focus on the intersections between regional crises and the transformation of the international system, as well as the risk of global war.

The session will examine how 50 years of US hegemony and prior British influence in the Middle East transformed Arab-Islamic culture, how the genocide in Gaza shook Western legitimacy in the region, and the potential role of BRICS regarding the Palestinian question.

Avenues to halt the expansionist “Greater Israel” visions of the far-right Israeli government and the future of the Hague Group will be scrutinised.

Participants will evaluate the conflict lines in Ukraine and Iran, the military-industrial complex’s relationship with intelligence, media, and academia, and the posture Europe would adopt in the scenario of a collapse of NATO and EU security structures.

The conference will conclude at 17:25 with a closing session featuring general evaluations from a line-up of speakers that includes Serdar Yurtçiçek.

Organisation aims for permanent think tank network and annual books

The East-West Forum will continue on the morning of Sunday, 27 September 2026, between 09:30 and 13:00, with an evaluation meeting and working breakfast.

Five core objectives will be implemented at this stage: turning EWF meetings into a permanent and annual global platform shaping multiple paradigm shifts; publishing conference outputs internationally as an annual book series in partnership with the Germany-based publisher Westend Verlag; establishing three-month EWF expert groups operating year-round; launching the EWF Network representing critical global intellect; and founding the EWF Business Council to ensure coordination with the corporate sector.

Conference to be held at Besiktas Akatlar Cultural Centre

The conference will take place at the Akatlar Cultural Centre in the Besiktas district. The facility, located at Akat Mahallesi Zeytinoglu Caddesi No: 16, is accessible by public transport and private vehicles.

Participants choosing the Yenikapi-Haciosman M2 metro line can transfer at Levent station to the M6 Bogazici Universitesi/Hisarustu line and alight at Nispetiye station, reaching the centre via a short bus or taxi ride.

Passengers using Marmaray can follow the same route via the Yenikapi transfer. Those arriving from Istanbul Airport can access the M2 and M6 connections from the M11 Gayrettepe line.

Bus number 58A departing from the Zincirlikuyu metrobus hub drops passengers at the Zeytinoglu stop, while route 58N stops at Sari Konaklar, immediately adjacent to the cultural centre.