Border Crossing

Freedom of Transit: A right for transit traffic to move across borders?

Willie Shumba — 2025-02-05

The world has become a global village, and various efforts have been made to facilitate trade, including transit traffic. In international trade, transit involves the movement of goods to the destination through third-party countries. Landlocked countries experience challenges in that they access trade with the rest of the world through seaports belonging to other territories. The freedom to transit through third party countries is therefore an important avenue that has gained traction in facilitating global trade. The freedom to transit is a concept that has evolved and improved over the years. This paper examines the efforts taken by international treaties to facilitate the movement of goods in transit: starting with the Barcelona Convention and Statute on Freedom of Transit of 1921, then the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, and lately, the Trade Facilitation Agreement of the World Trade Organisation. The paper analyses the progressive liberalisation of the transit regime over a century and brings out the impact that has been contributed to international trade. The study established that the Barcelona Convention on Transit provided the foundation, while Article V of GATT 1994 built upon that foundation. The Trade Facilitation Agreement represents the latest effort to facilitate traffic in transit.

Ideological Representation in Turkish Cinema and Turkish Cinema During the AK Party Era

Selami İnce — 2025-02-05

Cinema has long been recognized by governments for its societal influence, and Turkey is no exception. During the early years of the Republic, while all fine arts flourished under state protection, cinema did not receive the same level of support. However, Turkish cinema evolved in line with the Republic's official ideology, emphasizing values such as modernization and secularism. As the government acknowledged cinema's power, it began directing the industry to align with state interests, promoting a "Western" worldview. Following the rise of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in 2002, Turkey underwent a shift toward conservatism, with religious values influencing cultural and social life. This article examines how the AK Party's conservative and religious agenda has shaped Turkish cinema, focusing on whether the 20 highest-grossing films of the AK Party era contributed to a new cultural hegemony and whether Turkish cinema has become more religiously oriented in this period.

Return of Syrians: Myth or Reality

Armagan Teke Lloyd — 2025-04-10

The Syrian civil war, which began in 2011, has resulted in one of the largest refugee crises since World War II, displacing millions of Syrians both internally and internationally. Türkiye, which hosts over 3 million Syrian refugees, has become a focal point for discussions on refugee return and integration. With the collapse of the Ba'athist regime in December 2024 and the rise of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the question of whether Syrian refugees will return to their homeland or remain in Türkiye has gained urgency. This paper employs the Conflict Model of Migration to analyze the physical, political, legal, economic, and social conditions influencing Syrian refugees' decisions to return or stay. The study argues that refugees' perceptions of human security in both Türkiye and Syria play a critical role in shaping their migration choices. While Türkiye offers relative stability and access to basic services, ongoing political instability, economic devastation, and social fragmentation in Syria create significant barriers to return. The paper concludes that, in the short to medium term, most Syrian refugees are likely to remain in Türkiye due to the perceived insecurities in their home country. However, the Turkish government's efforts to facilitate repatriation, coupled with international support, may influence future return dynamics. This study contributes to broader discussions on refugee crises, integration policies, and the long-term implications of mass displacement.