https://theloop.ecpr.eu/the-istanbul-canal-balancing-development-and-security/ ECPR's Political Science Blog Sun, 12 Apr 2026 13:53:03 +0000 hourly 1 https://theloop.ecpr.eu/the-istanbul-canal-balancing-development-and-security/#comment-56155 Sun, 12 Apr 2026 13:53:03 +0000 https://theloop.ecpr.eu/?p=22926#comment-56155 Fine writing. I am convinced, and I managed a lot of UN development work in Turkey. "Ecosystems are collapsing, climate systems are destabilising, and trust in regional cooperation is fraying." Systems generally are less and less up to the task. There are two main reasons. (1) Systems that initially are well-meaning eventually will set about strangling us. A vital book The Innovators Dilemma finally nailed why and what to do in the late 90s. (2) UN Development as recreated in 1970 for the Second Development Decade was meant to be a giant systems enhancement machine for ALL nations with its 30 plus agencies. Methods developed were remarkable... but all of UN Development was cut off at the ankles by 2000 due to the vast mission creep of the World Bank under the manic top-down obtrusiveness of McNamara, with crazy notions about systems, huge resources, and captive Ministries of Finances everywhere. You should insist that every eco entity and conference makes crystal clear precisely WHAT systems to change and HOW in cross-border working groups.

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