Seyhan Sonmez | Université catholique de Louvain (original) (raw)
Papers by Seyhan Sonmez
International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, 2017
“The Middle East has oil and China has rare earth,” said Deng Xiaoping, the former leader of the ... more “The Middle East has oil and China has rare earth,” said Deng Xiaoping, the former
leader of the CPC in 1992 (Brennan, 2013). What is rare earth? What makes it as important as
oil in the 21st century? Rare earth elements (REEs) represent 17 elements in the periodic table
(see Annex 1) and are non-renewable natural resources that have essential characteristics as
chemical stability, strong durability, and high heat conductivity. Although, REEs are called
‘rare’ but they not rare at all, but their dispersion makes them rarely found in economically
viable quantities, and their proximity on the periodic table, makes them very difficult to
separate. Moreover, REEs are recognized as critical to both economic development and
national defense (He, 2014). They are indispensable in the high-tech industry and extensively
used in areas such as energy conservation and environmental protection, electronics,
aeronautics, and military applications, etc... Therefore, their properties make them crucial for
the global development of innovation and technology. But what is the issue regarding the
REEs industry? In the past three decades, China has become the world's major power on rare
earths. It occupies 44% of the total global rare earth reserves and also provides over 95% of
the global rare earth supply each year. The extent to which REEs are used and the Chinese
position of near-monopoly on such strategic resources has raised serious concerns among the
international military and economic powers about the supply chain security in an
interconnected global economy. The recent trade tensions over which China and the USA are
competing illustrate one of the economic matters but also the geopolitical interests of these
raw materials in international relations (Brennan, 2013). The rest will be examined in
the following chapters.
SYRIAN CIVIL WAR From Critical Security Studies Perspective 'A Case of the Security of the Ethnic and Sect Groups' , 2019
This study examines both Syrian Conflict and Critical Security Studies (CSS), as known Welsh/Aber... more This study examines both Syrian Conflict and Critical Security Studies (CSS), as known Welsh/Aberystwyth School. The security situation in Syria, especially security of chosen case, the Ethnic and sect groups/communities has been examined in the lens of CSS. The role of ethnic and sect groups is very important in this state. From independence of Syria until beginning of the civil war, there have been many problems between those groups, and it has been blown-up with the protests then, became a conflict between the ethnic and sect groups. After a long-time conflict, many people have been killed and displaced. It is time to secure Syria. Of course, Emancipation, human security and derived concept are very important for a decision on security and which are also highlighted by CSS. In any case, a security decision is taken by actors, it should include emancipation of individuals and communities like sects and ethnic communities.
“The emergence of the Social Credit System is linked to the government’s fear of digitalization of things” , 2018
From past to now, China, as a socialist-communist country, has always kept its citizens under con... more From past to now, China, as a socialist-communist country, has always kept its citizens under control. In modern world, technology and digitalization develop rapidly and hence it is difficult to control every single person, hereby the government fearing to lose its control. The Chinese Government is currently attempting to find solutions and prevent the worst case scenario. Consequently, the government decided to apply a digital scheme that can control every single person in the nation. This system is called the Social Credit System (SCS). This system has developed to control different ethnic groups and opponents in particular, according to politicians and resources. It is planned to be fully implemented by 2020, but the system has already been examined by the government and private mega companies such as Alibaba and WeChat who are cooperating with the government to implement the SCS. Data collection and its application play a crucial role in the system, as well as maintaining citizens’ approval. The government can ultimately have power not only in the physical world but also in the digital world, where things of digitalization has drastically changed people’s lives, in turn giving away their privacy.
Küreselleşmenin, 2. Dünya Savaş’ından sonra Liberal ekonomik politikaların gündeme gelmesiyle bi... more Küreselleşmenin, 2. Dünya Savaş’ından sonra Liberal ekonomik politikaların gündeme gelmesiyle birlikte devletler ve insanlar arasındaki ekonomik eşitsizlik giderek artmıştır. Bunun en belirgin örnekleri 1980 Neo-liberal ekonomik politikaların hızlıca yaygınlaşmasıyla görülebilmektedir. Ekonomik, teknolojik ve toplumsal alanlar başta olmak üzere, pek çok alanı etkisi altına alan değişmeler, yeni bir sürecin de başlangıcını oluşturmuştur.
Over its two hundred-year history, international trade theory witnessed increasing role of knowle... more Over its two hundred-year history, international trade theory witnessed increasing role of knowledge. Following classical theories of Smith (1776), and Ricardo (1817), based solely on labor as an element of cost, neoclassical contributions made it possible to take capital and other production factors into account through the concept of opportunity cost, undermining knowledge. Even the modern trade theories of Heckscher-Ohlin-Samuelson used two-factor models including just labor and capital. As of 1960s, parallel to the debate over Leontief Paradox, new theories of international trade began to cover knowledge and related concepts like skilled labor, technology gap, product cycle, etc. According to theories, how and who can trade with whom, we will try to explain this situation in this study.
Drafts by Seyhan Sonmez
UCLouvain, 2019
This Foreign Policy Analysis case study will focus on NATO’s dual-track decision with the French ... more This Foreign Policy Analysis case study will focus on NATO’s dual-track decision with the French perspective and favored “Actor-specific theory”. (Hudson, 2005) French foreign policy is a State policy. The President has a central role (Sur, 2010) in decision making. So, in the study, the President in NATO’s Double track decision’s time Valéry Giscard d'Estaing is our decision-maker for France. His advisors and the French vision will also be studied in the light of the Foreign Policy decision-making process. NATO’s double-track decision1 is a strategic and long-term decision in which the production and eventual deployment of LRTNF would be announced at the same time that an arms control offer would be made to the Soviets (Freeman, 2014). Although France did not actively participate in NATO’s nuclear decision-making, French President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing was dominated the meetings thanks to his personality.
International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, 2017
“The Middle East has oil and China has rare earth,” said Deng Xiaoping, the former leader of the ... more “The Middle East has oil and China has rare earth,” said Deng Xiaoping, the former
leader of the CPC in 1992 (Brennan, 2013). What is rare earth? What makes it as important as
oil in the 21st century? Rare earth elements (REEs) represent 17 elements in the periodic table
(see Annex 1) and are non-renewable natural resources that have essential characteristics as
chemical stability, strong durability, and high heat conductivity. Although, REEs are called
‘rare’ but they not rare at all, but their dispersion makes them rarely found in economically
viable quantities, and their proximity on the periodic table, makes them very difficult to
separate. Moreover, REEs are recognized as critical to both economic development and
national defense (He, 2014). They are indispensable in the high-tech industry and extensively
used in areas such as energy conservation and environmental protection, electronics,
aeronautics, and military applications, etc... Therefore, their properties make them crucial for
the global development of innovation and technology. But what is the issue regarding the
REEs industry? In the past three decades, China has become the world's major power on rare
earths. It occupies 44% of the total global rare earth reserves and also provides over 95% of
the global rare earth supply each year. The extent to which REEs are used and the Chinese
position of near-monopoly on such strategic resources has raised serious concerns among the
international military and economic powers about the supply chain security in an
interconnected global economy. The recent trade tensions over which China and the USA are
competing illustrate one of the economic matters but also the geopolitical interests of these
raw materials in international relations (Brennan, 2013). The rest will be examined in
the following chapters.
SYRIAN CIVIL WAR From Critical Security Studies Perspective 'A Case of the Security of the Ethnic and Sect Groups' , 2019
This study examines both Syrian Conflict and Critical Security Studies (CSS), as known Welsh/Aber... more This study examines both Syrian Conflict and Critical Security Studies (CSS), as known Welsh/Aberystwyth School. The security situation in Syria, especially security of chosen case, the Ethnic and sect groups/communities has been examined in the lens of CSS. The role of ethnic and sect groups is very important in this state. From independence of Syria until beginning of the civil war, there have been many problems between those groups, and it has been blown-up with the protests then, became a conflict between the ethnic and sect groups. After a long-time conflict, many people have been killed and displaced. It is time to secure Syria. Of course, Emancipation, human security and derived concept are very important for a decision on security and which are also highlighted by CSS. In any case, a security decision is taken by actors, it should include emancipation of individuals and communities like sects and ethnic communities.
“The emergence of the Social Credit System is linked to the government’s fear of digitalization of things” , 2018
From past to now, China, as a socialist-communist country, has always kept its citizens under con... more From past to now, China, as a socialist-communist country, has always kept its citizens under control. In modern world, technology and digitalization develop rapidly and hence it is difficult to control every single person, hereby the government fearing to lose its control. The Chinese Government is currently attempting to find solutions and prevent the worst case scenario. Consequently, the government decided to apply a digital scheme that can control every single person in the nation. This system is called the Social Credit System (SCS). This system has developed to control different ethnic groups and opponents in particular, according to politicians and resources. It is planned to be fully implemented by 2020, but the system has already been examined by the government and private mega companies such as Alibaba and WeChat who are cooperating with the government to implement the SCS. Data collection and its application play a crucial role in the system, as well as maintaining citizens’ approval. The government can ultimately have power not only in the physical world but also in the digital world, where things of digitalization has drastically changed people’s lives, in turn giving away their privacy.
Küreselleşmenin, 2. Dünya Savaş’ından sonra Liberal ekonomik politikaların gündeme gelmesiyle bi... more Küreselleşmenin, 2. Dünya Savaş’ından sonra Liberal ekonomik politikaların gündeme gelmesiyle birlikte devletler ve insanlar arasındaki ekonomik eşitsizlik giderek artmıştır. Bunun en belirgin örnekleri 1980 Neo-liberal ekonomik politikaların hızlıca yaygınlaşmasıyla görülebilmektedir. Ekonomik, teknolojik ve toplumsal alanlar başta olmak üzere, pek çok alanı etkisi altına alan değişmeler, yeni bir sürecin de başlangıcını oluşturmuştur.
Over its two hundred-year history, international trade theory witnessed increasing role of knowle... more Over its two hundred-year history, international trade theory witnessed increasing role of knowledge. Following classical theories of Smith (1776), and Ricardo (1817), based solely on labor as an element of cost, neoclassical contributions made it possible to take capital and other production factors into account through the concept of opportunity cost, undermining knowledge. Even the modern trade theories of Heckscher-Ohlin-Samuelson used two-factor models including just labor and capital. As of 1960s, parallel to the debate over Leontief Paradox, new theories of international trade began to cover knowledge and related concepts like skilled labor, technology gap, product cycle, etc. According to theories, how and who can trade with whom, we will try to explain this situation in this study.
UCLouvain, 2019
This Foreign Policy Analysis case study will focus on NATO’s dual-track decision with the French ... more This Foreign Policy Analysis case study will focus on NATO’s dual-track decision with the French perspective and favored “Actor-specific theory”. (Hudson, 2005) French foreign policy is a State policy. The President has a central role (Sur, 2010) in decision making. So, in the study, the President in NATO’s Double track decision’s time Valéry Giscard d'Estaing is our decision-maker for France. His advisors and the French vision will also be studied in the light of the Foreign Policy decision-making process. NATO’s double-track decision1 is a strategic and long-term decision in which the production and eventual deployment of LRTNF would be announced at the same time that an arms control offer would be made to the Soviets (Freeman, 2014). Although France did not actively participate in NATO’s nuclear decision-making, French President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing was dominated the meetings thanks to his personality.