Metro of the METR White Book on the Future of Mobility in the METR Region
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Metro of the METR White Book on the Future of Mobility in the METR Region White Book on the Future of Mobility in the METR of theRegion MetroMiddle East Europe Turkey Russia Igor Ivanov President, Russian International Affairs Council Foreign Minister, Russian Federation 1998–2004 To the Reader Secretary, Security Council, Russian Federation 2004–2007 It would not be an exaggeration continues to grow on our planet, terest. The authors of the white But we can assume that more to say that all of humanity’s creating new risks at regional papers — representatives of big than 2,000 years ago, the idea Doctor of Historical Sciences, history, stretching back to the and global levels. business, experts, public figures of the Silk Road also seemed Professor distant past, has been shaped and politicians — are united by an unrealizable fantasy to by the development of transport. The METR region — the Middle their desire to take a fresh look most of the contemporaries of Corresponding Member, The first cities arose, nations East, Europe, Turkey and Rus- at the problems of the Eurasian the dreamers and adventur- Russian Academy of Sciences formed, and civilizations flour- sia — offers a prime example of continent, to get away from ers who were laying the first ished along navigable rivers and the importance of overcoming stereotypes and ideological transcontinental traffic artery on caravan routes, in mountain “mobile inequality” in the mod- dogmas, and to offer their vision between East and the West on passes and sea straits. The bitter ern world as quickly as possible. of how to achieve sustainable the Eurasian continent. Never- struggle for control of transport This region is characterized by growth, social stability, and secu- theless, the Silk Road became routes often led to bloody wars, obvious disparities in the devel- rity in one of the most complex a reality, and its implications for and changes to the geography opment of transportation- and “problematic” regions of our trade, cross-cultural interaction, of main trade routes drastically communication routes, clearly planet. and the development of science shifted the balance of power in outdated and flawed geography and art in the ancient world international relations. for transport flows, and the Probably, someone will think cannot be overstated. So why absence of a unified system of that the plans and projects in should we, the people of the 21st Now, in the 21st century, the standards and mechanisms the white book are too radical century, set ourselves goals any importance of transportation- that could regulate transpor- or that they are even fantastical less ambitious than our distant communication networks has tation-communication infra- and too far from today’s reality. ancestors did? increased even more. In today’s structure. Without a doubt, the global and interdependent world, resolution of transport problems the exclusion of a country or in the METR region would make region from the international an invaluable contribution not transport system almost inev- only to expanding trade and itably leads to economic and economic development in METR social hindrances, preservation countries, but also to widening of archaic social and political regional stability, overcoming practices, and ultimately to mutual fears and suspicions, the rise of social and political and preventing political radical- instability. The unevenness and ism and extremism. imbalance in individual regions’ development are caused to That is why the projects and a great extent by the unequal ideas developed by the MIR access of various countries to Initiative in the pages of its modern transport infrastructure. white book “Metro of the METR Unfortunately, “mobile inequality” Region” provoke so much in- Metro of the METR 4 5 Piero Fassino Mayor of Turin New forms of transportation are changing the world’s geography President, National Association In the European Union, the nine the lessons of Cavour. In 1846, 15 identifies material and immate- political reasons. Cities not only have irrepressible of Italian Municipalities priority corridors of the TEN-T years before Italian unification, rial communications and trans- needs and their own local values network are creating for Eu- Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour, ports as drivers of integration This new Silk Road running from in a globalized world, but they National Secretary, rope’s passengers a kind of Con- published in the Revue Nouvelle and construction in the new Eu- China through Russia, the Cau- also can be the main characters Democrats of the Left tinental Metro, a “Euro Metro,” in Paris a design for a national rope, and thus the construction casus, Turkey, the Middle East in major “glocal” processes, in 2001–2007 with European cities as stations. railway network at a time when of a large new market, internally and the Balkans, will not stop in which local and global regions This is allowing a new relation- Italy was still divided into several unified and open to sea and in- Venice. Passing through Turin, it coexist. Transportation and Justice Minister, Italy ship system for trade, knowledge small states, mostly in conflict land connections with the rest of will link all of the Mediterranean major transnational routes are 2000–2001 and circulation of people and with each other, without any the world, close and distant, with corridor cities up to the Iberian like necklaces: They link together ideas. trade that could justify basic in- particular attention to Eurasia. Peninsula, to Gibraltar, with separate jewels, just as trans- Foreign Trade Minister, Italy 1998–2000 frastructure investments accord- a study of the underwater port routes link cities distinct These connections also link ing to a cost-benefit analysis as Trade perspective is indeed connection with African coun- from each other in art, history, seaports, airports and intermod- we would define it today. growing in scale, and it is first of tries. In this way, there is a new vocation, culture, and society. al centers, building an inland all influenced by the new role of relationship system with the Eur- logistics network from north to As a matter of fact, Cavour eastern Europe and the Far East. asian cities of both the new and Ultimately, European and south and from east to west, that did not intend to answer to The present and future realities ancient Silk Road. Eurasian corridors need the ac- connects the seas by crossing the (non-existent) traffic demand, are represented by relations tive, conceptual and proactive them with major routes and but he aimed to build, through between East and West, from In a globalized world, and involvement of the cities that overcomes mountain barriers by transport, a new political-insti- the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific during the short processes of define their routes. For this rea- crossing them with tunnels. tutional reality, the unified Italy, Ocean, repeating in a modern in- our continuous evolution, cities son, the New Silk Road invites and a new unified market, which terpretation the Silk Road, from are again a point of reference, cities on its itinerary to become Italy is playing a major role in this could generate opportunities Beijing to the Atlantic. The Med- a fundamental historical legacy permanent forums for the pro- project, since four of the nine and trade unthinkable until that iterranean area plays a crucial that had dimmed during the pe- motion, direction and develop- corridors will pass through its moment. While he was think- role in this context, and in par- riod of triumphant national ment of the interests of local territory. This is not a mere tech- ing about the national railway ticular Italy is the pier of Europe, states. Today we are rediscov- communities, without localisms nical modernization of existing network, several decades before thus being the historical media- ering the fundamental role of but aware of large contemporary routes aimed at conforming its realization, he had already tor for Europe with the East and cities. They guarantee people challenges. transport supply to the traffic planned the fundamental con- North Africa. a sense of belonging to a real demand in EU countries. It is nections across the Alps of Mon- community and at the same time a means of European integration cenisio, Gotthard and Brenner. The MIR white book — in which are symbols of larger territories. through the construction of its the term METR stands for Without the lighthouse of their most basic levers of functioning: The TEN-T, or Trans-European the Middle East, Europe, Turkey capital city illuminating them in the circulation of people and Transport Network, now is and Russia — outlines this new the collective imagination, these goods. presenting on a continental perspective that is relevant not larger areas would have difficulty scale a model similar to the one only from a commercial trans- finding their place in the general Being both Italian and Pied- depicted by Cavour on a nation- port point of view, but mainly competitive arena. montese, I feel obliged to recall al scale nearly 170 years ago. It because of social, cultural and Metro of the METR 6 7 Azer Mursaliev Editor in Chief, Kommersant Publishing House The Spirit of Mobility The METR region — the Middle pires, each integrated the METR the North to the South and the The Middle East, for example, It is unclear whether existing East, Europe, Turkey, Russia — region according to their own South to the North, caravans has always gravitated toward states will remain within their is going through difficult times. systems of values and laws. After came and ships sailed. The fog the North, namely, toward south- present borders. Meanwhile the The Arab Spring, which gripped a pause during the so-called Dark of ignorance was clearing away. ern Europe. Just look at Libya Arab world is on fire, with hun- much of the Middle East, has Ages, contacts among countries Blank spaces took on and Morocco: These African dreds of thousands of people developed into a protracted war and peoples of the region then in- the contours of new lands where, countries have much more in fleeing war and heading to the in most of those Middle Eastern tensified in the later Middle Ages.