From global connectivity hub to outpost peninsula ?

Gordon Dumoulin
Jul 23, 2022
2 min read

𝘐𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘌𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨

𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘶𝘣 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘢 ?

While Europe and the US are busy with militarization budgets and geopolitics of separation, the first cargo train on the 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗼𝗿 (𝗜𝗡𝗦𝗧𝗖) arrived last week at the border of Iran (departed from Moscow) for its last stretch to the Iranian seaport Bandar Abbas where the cargo will be shipped to Mumbai.

The new railroad route from St. Petersburg (actually from Murmansk at the Arctic Ocean connecting the Arctic sea route to Shanghai) all the way to Iran’s seaport is revolutionary for trade and connectivity developments in Central Asia from the Arctic to the Arabian Sea.

Last week’s first train still took a temporary route east from the Caspian sea (through Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan) but the route will soon be more straight and direct going through Azerbaijan at the west side of the Caspian sea when the last 130 km Rasht-Astara has been completed.

At the same time Iran is completing the construction of a new seaport Chabahar dedicated as sea freight gateway for the INSTC connecting Central Asia and Russia with India and South East Asia.

See this greatly designed map by Jug Cerović how new sea and land routes are being developed (or already operating) connecting the vast Central Asian, South East Asian, Russian, Indian and Chinese lands along with deepening multilateral economic and trade collaborations in various ambitious agreements.

Routes for people, goods and energy; high speed trains, cargo railway and roads, pipelines and cables. A game changer for trade, development and connectivity between nations and people locked from each other for decades to a few centuries. Though looking at history, this map reflects the reality for an overwhelming portion of known human history with China’s and India’s economies being by far world's largest, thriving trade and people-to-people connectivity among others with Central Asia and the Middle East.

𝘐𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘞𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘌𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘶𝘣 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘢 ?

The world is rapidly changing… 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 with respect to diversity is the road forward for a peaceful and responsible future; for people-to-people, trade, environment and equality. Foreign policies of 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 based on ideologies and militarism should and will have no place anymore.

This map will definitely expand to new, other regions embracing the multilateral inclusive future in diversity...

#beltandroadinitiative #bri #asia #russia #india #asean #connectivity