In an age of growing insecurity and instability, connectivity is no longer viewed as a neutral economic good. It has increasingly become a domain of strategic competition and coercion. The growing militarization of trade routes, maritime chokepoints, and infrastructure corridors, evident in tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz following the recent Iran-Israel/US escalation, has exposed the fragility of global supply chains. Energy flows, shipping lanes, digital infrastructure, and critical logistics networks are now embedded within broader security calculations, where the risks of disruption carry systemic economic consequences. Therefore, militarization of chokepoints, sea lanes, and major trade arteries and infrastructures poses a systemic risk both on a regional and global scale. As states seek to hedge against these vulnerabilities and reduce dependence on singular maritime routes, competition over the design of alternative routes and resilient corridors has intensified.
This session aims to examine how connectivity has evolved into a contested strategic space, and what this transformation means for global trade, energy security, and geopolitical stability. It will position Türkiye as a central node in the construction of secure, diversified, and politically sustainable connectivity frameworks through initiatives such as the Development Road Project with Iraq, the Middle Corridor, and cross-regional energy linkages, highlighting its role not only as a transit country but also as a stabilizing geopolitical actor and emerging connector power shaping the strategic architecture of regional connectivity.
Discussion Themes:
- How has the increasing militarization of connectivity reshaped the relationship between economics and security across global trade, energy flows, and infrastructure networks?
- To what extent can alternative trade and energy corridors realistically mitigate vulnerabilities arising from chokepoint disruptions and broader supply chain fragility?
- What distinguishes resilient and politically sustainable connectivity frameworks from those exposed to geopolitical coercion, disruption, and fragmentation in the current global order?
- How can Türkiye leverage its geography and diplomatic positioning to anchor a more secure, diversified, and strategically resilient connectivity architecture across regions?