
Dr Elif Selin Calik
Dr. Elif Selin Calik is a London based scientist specializing in renewable energy and sustainability, with advanced training in energy and environmental science from Harvard and Oxford. As a founding member of Anadolu Agency’s In-Depth News Department, she also served as an observer at the United Nations Climate Change Summit COP23. Dr. Calik holds MAs from the International University of Sarajevo and SOAS, University of London, where she earned her PhD.
Items by Dr Elif Selin Calik
-
- September 30, 2022 Dr Elif Selin Calik
Aegean Sea tensions threaten NATO’ s unity
For the first time in its long history, NATO’s unity is under threat as a result of the rift between two of its members; Turkiye and Greece and their manoeuvres in the Aegean Sea. The latest crisis between the two began in August when Turkiye accused its neighbour of...
-
- September 13, 2022 Dr Elif Selin Calik
Queen Elizabeth II and Turkiye
The United Kingdom’s Queen Elizabeth II died last Thursday, aged 96. The flowers for her funeral will apparently be shipped from Turkiye. This is not as unusual as it first appears. In 2008, during her first visit to Turkiye after more than 30 years, the Queen delivered a speech...
-
- August 30, 2022 Dr Elif Selin Calik
Why Africa needs Turkish drones
After NATO countries, African countries are also knocking at the door of Turkiye for collaboration with the defence industry. With Turkiye’s Bayraktar TB2 Drone, Turkiye has been experiencing high demand on collaboration with African countries. In Africa, the TB2 Bayraktar model is in high demand after it was used...
-
- August 12, 2022 Dr Elif Selin Calik
Ukrainian refugees should be resettled and empowered before it’s too late
At least 12 million people have fled their homes since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the UN has confirmed. More than five million are refugees in neighbouring countries, while seven million others are believed to be internally displaced within Ukraine itself. If there is no ceasefire, the UN High Commissioner...
-
- August 4, 2022 Dr Elif Selin Calik
Four special projects in the MENA region leading the way to NET ZERO 2050
As I highlight in my newly published book “The Renaissance of Smart Energy”, the Middle East region is more than the Syrian war or visits to Dubai for super-posh expensive shopping. The following are four landmark green innovative projects that can make the Middle East sustainable: Saudi Arabia: NEOM FUTURISTIC...
-
- July 22, 2022 Dr Elif Selin Calik
When the dust settles, how Africa will help the EU energy crisis
Europe is grappling with an unprecedented energy crisis. And its options are few and far between. However, Africa has emerged as, perhaps, the most viable alternative source of energy. But just how did Europe get here? It started with the crippling economic sanctions it imposed on Russia over Moscow’s...
-
- July 8, 2022 Dr Elif Selin Calik
The Middle East can help resolve Europe’s energy crisis with green energy investments
Despite the many political crises that plague the Middle East, the region still has the capacity to become energy independent. The East Mediterranean Gas Forum formed by Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan, and Palestine in 2019, is an encouraging indicator that the countries of the region can...
-
- June 14, 2022 Dr Elif Selin Calik
Turkiye is getting caught between NATO and Russia
Reacting to the ongoing tension within NATO after Sweden and Finland applied to join the alliance, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said that it is important to note that no other NATO member state had suffered more terrorist attacks than Turkiye; and that NATO’s borders with Russia will double...
-
- May 27, 2022 Dr Elif Selin Calik
Davos myth: Unchanging poverty and changing climate
The main takeaway from this year’s Davos conference was best expressed by the US Vermont independent senator and former presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders when he said; “The oligarchs party and the poor suffer.” While some billionaires, including Bill Gates and Elon Musk, have been focusing on technological solutions driven...
-
- May 10, 2022 Dr Elif Selin Calik
Economic crisis in Turkey triggers racist acts
In Turkey, the release of the short film, “Silent Invasion”, which was commissioned by the Head of one of the opposition parties, the Victory Party, Umit Ozdag, circulated widely on social media last weekend and was watched by more than 2 million viewers. It, however, incited the masses against...
-
- April 26, 2022 Dr Elif Selin Calik
Palestinian human rights should not be a diplomatic tool in the game of nations
After nine Turkish activists were killed by Israeli commandos who boarded Turkey’s humanitarian ship the MV Mavi Marmara in 2010 in international waters (a tenth activist died of his wounds later), the international community did not condemn categorically this brutal human rights violation; nor did it offer to mediate...
-
- April 11, 2022 Dr Elif Selin Calik
Can the UK’s Energy Security Plan be a substitute for Energy Relations with the Middle East?
The ongoing war in Ukraine has prompted the UK to set up a new energy security plan for energy independence from Russia. Last week, the Johnson Government announced an “Energy Security Plan” to challenge rocketing energy bills and transition away from Russian fossil fuels after the invasion of Ukraine....
-
- March 30, 2022 Dr Elif Selin Calik
What will be the future of global energy post-Ukraine war?
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a surprise video appearance at Qatar’s Doha Forum last Saturday, stressing the need for the energy-rich nation and others to shift their production from Russian based energy into renewable energy to counteract the loss of Russian energy supplies. This emergency call from the president...
-
- March 11, 2022 Dr Elif Selin Calik
History is repeating itself: From Bosnia to Ukraine
On 5 March 1992, Aida woke up to bombing and shooting as the Serbian army opened fire from the iconic Holiday Inn Hotel and killed two women protesting on the Vrbanja Bridge. In order to continue her medical studies, she had to escape from her beloved city Sarajevo to...
-
- February 26, 2022 Dr Elif Selin Calik
Europe's dilemma over the Russia-Ukraine conflict: Caught between economic interests and war
Did Germany’s “unofficial” Russia policy help prepare the ground for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine? Putting aside the Nord Stream 2 agreement between Germany and Russia, there were other important areas of cooperation that can be traced back to the Georgia conflict. In the autumn of 2008, when Moscow threatened war...
-
- February 14, 2022 Dr Elif Selin Calik
Crisis within crisis: Refugees’ energy crisis
While Europe has been witnessing the severe consequences of its refugee crisis for more than a decade, anti-migrant politicians have been fuelling tensions with their hate-filled rhetoric. Life for most refugees will become worse as Europe faces one of its worst energy crises in years. In a newly published...
-
- February 5, 2022 Dr Elif Selin Calik
Can Qatar save Europe from a cold winter in the event of a Russia-Ukraine war?
Any war scenario between Ukraine and Russia would undoubtedly imperil European energy security. Existing energy supplies in the region are still not enough, filling only 38 per cent of Europe’s storage capacity, according to Gas Infrastructure Europe. But the shortfall compared with previous winters is narrowing, and prices are...
-
- January 29, 2022 Dr Elif Selin Calik
Turkey’s balancing act between Russia and Ukraine
Turkey’s military-industrial partners are on the verge of war. The war scenario between Russia and Ukraine is testing Turkey’s balancing policy, especially in the defence industry. Both countries are important partners for Turkey in terms of sales and purchasing of defence equipment. This situation creates positive as well as...
-
- January 7, 2022 Dr Elif Selin Calik
Turkey’s drones diplomacy in Africa
When assessing Turkey’s military involvement over the past few years – including in Syria, Libya and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict – one thing must be highlighted: the significant capabilities of its military drones. During the last 10 years, the export of Turkish weapons has been directly linked to the country’s economic...
-
- December 25, 2021 Dr Elif Selin Calik
Will Egypt’s gas to Lebanon end the East Med energy dispute?
The last quarter of 2021 has witnessed Egypt striking a deal with Lebanon to export natural gas to the country in the first quarter of 2022. The first time the agreement was made public was through the US State Department’s senior advisor for global energy security Amos Hochstein. His announcment...
-
- December 18, 2021 Dr Elif Selin Calik
The closures of mosques in Kashmir: Another legacy of Modi’s vindictive rule
India’s government has this week decided to close Srinagar’s Grand Mosque in Indian-administered Kashmir. This act is the latest of a two-year campaign of repression by the Indian authorities against Kashmir’s Muslim population. The 600-year-old mosque is now shut for the first time in its history. For centuries, Jamia Mosque,...
-
- December 11, 2021 Dr Elif Selin Calik
The perils of the digital age: How Facebook failed to protect Rohingya Muslims
Rohingya refugees and victims are suing Facebook for $150 billion. They allege that Facebook played a key role in the brutal crackdown against Muslims in Myanmar by promoting anti-Rohingya posts. This online hate turned into real-world violence, according to the lawsuit. As stated by Noam Chomsky, author of Manufacturing Consent,...
-
- December 3, 2021 Dr Elif Selin Calik
UK’s new gas saviour during supply crunch is Qatar
After gas shortages in the UK have led to soaring high prices, Qatar eyes an opportunity to strengthen ties with the UK in terms of gas supply. It is clear that Qatar sees Brexit as a chance to develop huge gas investments in the UK. The Gulf state already...
-
- November 26, 2021 Dr Elif Selin Calik
Local manufacturing is important for currency management in Turkey
The current currency crisis in Turkey has led many citizens to demonstrate against the AK Party government over the past couple of days. Before analysing the crisis, it is important to highlight Turkey’s economic and social development performance since the early 2000s. According to the World Bank’s “Country Partnership Strategy...