The Intercontinental

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Energy in the future

The Long Path for Turkey into the EU An Interview with Miss President EYP Survival Oil = Power? Official Magazine of Istanbul 2011, 10th National Selection Conference of the European Youth Parliament Turkey

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Table of Contents
INTERVIEW Miss President Kerstin Mathias (DE) is interrogated by Oyku Tali and Emilie Tilstam. Page 3 POLITICS Noura Berrouba investigates the relationship between power and oil. Who has got the power now? Page 4 POLITICS Conscription: good or bad? Dunja Tanovic looks into the topic. Page 5 ECONOMY Have you heard about the movement of the 99%? Olcay Soyalan explains and asks, what the protests could lead to. Page 6 EYP ADVICE Welcome to your first session - Melis Cin has got some advice for you. Page 7 EYP ADVICE Ipek Karakaya explains who is who at this session

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POLITICS Switzerland is not in the EU, nor is Turkey. Mehmet Kaan Serdar tells you the story of the latter. Page 9 ENERGY Elif Celebi tells you how to save energy in your daily life. Page 10

There is only one first time

Ed ito ria l

Dear Delegates, This is your first time in the European Youth Parliament. It might be fascinating, it might be stressful, it might even be terrifying. What you are about to experience over the next couple of days will be like nothing you have ever experienced before, and we truly hope you will love it as much as we do. This is your first time in EYP, and it is our first time in Istanbul. What a unique and inspiring city, situated on two continents at the same time - hence we decided to name our magazine The Intercontinental. It is our aim to create a magazine that you like and read, a magazine, that reports on your first experiences in EYP. When it comes to the session and its location, one thing has to be said: We have never, in all honesty, been welcomed so well in a country, and enjoyed hospitality to the extent that we experienced it here. We can assure you one thing - an Organising Committee like the one you are surrounded by right now will be hard to find again. It is now our turn to pass that warm welcome we received here in Istanbul back to you, as a warm welcome to the EYP. We invite you to embrace what our organisation has got to offer: dedicated and compassionate people who share a passion for politics and debate. By giving us the possibility to meet those people and become friends with them, EYP has given us an entirely new perspective, and we hope that it will do the same for you. Once again, welcome to the 10th NSC of EYP Turkey, and welcome to the EYP. Yours truly, Your Editors, Elsa Horn af Rantzien (SE) & Konrad Staeger (CH) The Intercontintal is brought to you by: Noura Berrouba (SE) Elif Celebi (TR) Melis Cin (TR) Ipek Karakaya (TR) Sammy Mushin (CZ) Kaan Serdar (TR) Olcay Soyalan (TR) Oyku Tali (TR) Dunja Tanovic (UK) Emilie Tilstam (SE)

Breakfast with Kaiserin Kerstin

Turkish hospitality and the view on the Bosporus made her run out of words - an interview with Miss President. BY EMILIE TILSTAM (SE) & OYKU TALI (TR)
Early in the morning on the first day of the 10th National Selection Conference of the European Youth Parliament Turkey, we took our Kaiserin, or more correctly our President Kerstin for this session aside for short breakfast date. What are your expectations so far? I hope that all participants will have a good time, that they will enjoy the session together rather than individually. And as for the Delegates I am hoping that this will be a memorable first EYP experience. I hope we can manage to show them what EYP is truly all about, and that the Delegates will give it a try. Now here in Istanbul, how does the session feel so far? Absolutely amazing. I was telling Seyma (Head Organiser of the session) that I do not usually run out of words to describe what I feel. But this time I have. The hospitality of the Turkish people is strikingly excellent, for example the Officials dinner last night at an Organisers house was truly something special, with a terrific view of Bosporus on top. It was beyond words. Even the run up to the session has been going so smoothly, the organising team for this session is thoroughly committed and so enthusiastic. And Im really happy with the other teams as well, both Journalists and Chairs. For a newcomer in EYP, why should one, according to you, be involved in EYP? I think that what is so great about EYP is that it offers a place for basically everyone, and it attracts many special personalities, in a good way. Anyone who describes him or herself as curious should definitely be in EYP. This is the place where I personally have met the most interesting people in my entire life, and where I have had the most intense experiences. So if the Delegates are up for an intense learning experience, then they have come to the right place. What makes a session memorable? The people (a very definite answer from Kerstin). The people and the atmosphere, but I guess they go hand in hand. EYP as a whole has more than 120 events per year, and they all more or less follow the same structure. So what makes all the sessions unique is the different mixes of faces. What would you say is the most important task of a President? Above all, picking good teams. So far I think I have done that pretty well (a proud smile lights up her face). Furthermore, it is essential to integrate the groups, so that Officials and Del-

egates all interact with each other. And of course have an overview of the session even though the world around you is falling apart you have to keep it together and just make sure nobody is killing themselves for the sake of good results (and we are certain that Kaiser Kerstin will). Any message you would like to pass on to the Delegates? Things do not always turn out as expected. EYP sessions are great fun, but there might be tough moments as well. So my message is just to hang in there, dont quit, because the good moments always outnumber the bad ones. Then, having finished our breakfast date, we all headed out with our Kaiser to start the session for real.
Some facts about Kerstin Mathias (DE) Number of EYP sessions so far: Around 35, probably. Favourite place in Europe: This place in London, opposite to Big Ben just by the river Thames. I love sitting there at night with some champagne. Favourite home dish: My mothers meatballs and mashed potatoes

In te

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Oil black power

Will the new leaders be determined by oil rather than by democracy? Both oil as a natural resource as well as Arab autocrats are facing an uncretain future. BY NOURA BERROUBA (SE)
2011 was a year of revolutions, change and a wish for the better. Perhaps the most well known example of this, the Arab spring, revolutionised the Middle East and the North African region when regime after regime was put down. With the worlds largest supply of oil, the instability in this region suddenly became an issue of oil rather than democracy. With great power comes great responsibility, and with no power, comes great uncertainty. No global product is more influential than oil. It has been a reason for several wars and it has proved to be the way to power. This world-changing product was first discovered in the United States in 1859. Since then, it has come to be the most important energy and transportation resource. Before the Arab revolutions started, the most common global view on the future of oil was that reliance on one single energy resource is highly dangerous. Thus, both from an energy security and national security point of view, the rising demand for oil was considered unsafe. It was estimated that, by 2020, 83% of global oil reserves would be controlled by Middle Eastern regimes. This would mean that the Middle Eastern suppliers, the regimes, would regain the influence they had in the 1970s and continue to, and increase their influence in, setting the terms on the global oil market as well as manipulating oil prices and world politics. Furthermore, oil has always provided the regimes with military security, which has been seen in the example of Col Gaddafi. He managed to keep the opposition away by military forces, financed by Libyas great oil resources. Actions like this have caused US embroilment in Middle East conflicts, which in turn has fuelled conflicts and has further caused an anti-American sentiment and thus increased disparities between the Islamic and the west world. All this was, however, before the Arab revolutions. Since then, things have changed. If the oil situation has developed to the better or to the worse is difficult to say but what is sure is that the future of oil now is uncertain. As the power of oil is increasing, the future of the human society lays in undecided hands. Oil has, as mentioned, many times proved to be a reason for conflict, war and an abundant amount of power. Those who possess the oil will rule the world. With a year like 2011 in hindsight, new leaders are yet to be determined. The question is, once again, perhaps not so much a question of democracy, but rather a question of oil.

I want you
Po lit ic
The number of European countries with a compulsory military service has been decreasing over years. What are the reasons in favour and against conscription? BY DUNJA TANOVIC (UK)
Halting ones life even on a temporary basis is daunting prospect for anyone but for an infinite number of people it has been an unfortunate reality. Conscription, the compulsory enrolment of individuals for military service, is age old and has played a part in the history of every country in the world however, although the 20th Century has been seen as the Century of Warfare by many, it can also be seen as the start to the end of an age old burden. Conscription has slowly been vanishing from the continents; Europe in particular has seen a massive drop in the number of countries retaining the practice with Germany, Sweden and Serbia abandoning it over the past year. Today, many consider military service as being detrimental to a persons future prospects, an idea supported in a recent study by the University of Birmingham which shows that the best educated and best connected men around the world are commonly those who dodged conscription. The economist Johann von Thnen (1783 1850) blamed the practice for fuelling Napoleons recklessness in Russia while more the recent economists Panu Poutvaara and Andreas Wagener, claim that making someone become a soldier is as peculiar as forcing all citizens to work as nurses, heart surgeons or teachers. In addition to this, research on members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development concludes that conscription hampers the growth of a state and is therefore detrimental to it. Countries which maintain conscription are generally thought to be people-rich and cash-poor such as Thailand who, unlike the rest of the world, have recently increased the number of those eligible for army work. Despite the negative connotations conscription carries it can also be a necessity to a country. Recently independent South Sudan has introduced conscription in the hope of replacing private militias which have

until now roamed about the state. Furthermore, compulsory military service is backed not only by the governments of some of the countries in which it is present but also the people; more than 80% of Finns backed it in a recent survey and in Estonia support is well over 90%. After the recent riots in England some ministers have even suggested reestablishing conscription (the two year service was ended in 1969) in hope that it would bring in alienated and rowdy youngsters into line. While the arguments for and against conscription are strong, one must assume that the reason for the current decline in countries that maintain the practice is due to the change in public opinion. Whereas it was once seen as a honourable thing to do, it is now seen as a burden. If conscription is to survive then there will need to be major campaigns which should attempt to change the public opinion of conscription. In addition to this, if the aim behind conscription is to maintain public order, then governments should consider offering an alternative to conscription that interferes less with an individuals personal liberty, such as community service.

The movement of the

99%
The intuition that inequality is divisive and socially corrosive has been around since before the French Revolution. However such huge protests like the Occupy Movement, which now takes place in over nine hundred cities worldwide, dont arise very often. You can name many reasons for the masses to start showing their displeasure with the extremely unequal distribution of wealth: high unemployment rates, further job losses due to an on-going financial crisis, the super rich 1% who want and have it all does it really matter who lit the match and what started the fire? Thousands of people hoped their protest would lead to a change in financial and economical systems that had failed them and the fire broke out. Step one: Initiated by the Canadian activist group Adbusters, the movement broke out in New York as demonstrations of young people, unemployed or employed with low income. We are the 99% was their slogan, referring to the widening gap between the wealthiest 1% of US citizens who together make up at least 38% of combined US wealth and the rest of the population. As the protesters unofficial website

In hundreds of cities all over the world, protestors of the 99% unite to fight for change. How will this end? BY OLCAY SOYALAN (TR)
says, they wanted to slow down some of that $1.3-trillion easy money thats sloshing around the global casino each day. Nevertheless, it is a tough battle fighting the math and those who use it to market and redistribute wealth. Step two: The movement spread around the world gaining power in organisation through social media. Soon the celebrities, philosophers and even the political characters expressed their support for the movement regardless of how well off they were. Step three: Legitimation was provided by many academics who stated that the Occupy demonstrators had rightful motivations to protest and a distinct message. The movement reached an obvious size but it was still hard to discern a unified demand of the protestors. George Machado, one of many who occupied Wall Street, stated the following reason for this when speaking to the Guardian: You cannot demand anything from a system that is completely broken. You have to build a new one. And that is what we are all doing now with these occupations. Yet, somebody came up with the idea of Robin Hood

tax; as its name explains its function, a new taxation system that cuts a little bit from the banks profits and contributes to the poor. With the Occupy Movement expanding, the Robin Hood tax also gained appreciation of many, including politicians and bankers. Step four: The increased respectability and popularity dragged along the danger. Now that the movement is so widespread, there are two hazards that it may stumble upon, and both are related to the problem of quality and quantity: Either the protestors aims are reduced to a very simple level and movement will eventually lose popularity, or it will grow even more popular and completely lose the unity of its demands due to its lack of internal coordination. Both are difficult to prevent, however, in the end there is a chance the movement can persuade governments to take action against in order to improve the lives of those who are protesting in the name of 99% of their population. The world has seen people gathering and causing change, several times. The Berlin Wall collapsed. Arab Revolutions have overthrown leaders. Now, it is time to watch if those of the 99% who are protesting get what they want. And that is exciting.

How to survive EYP

BY MELIS CIN (TR)

Dear Delegates, Welcome to 10th National Selection Conference of the European Youth Parliament of Turkey. Since this is for many of you your first session, there is one essential question that needs to be answered: What should I do to make my NSC the best it could ever be? As a member of the session Press team, I figured it is better to let you know about some to dos, before they are already history. Straight from myself, one of your Journalists, here is my prime advice for this session. First of all, you need to acknowledge the lack of sleep. You will definitely be pushing your limits but trust me, at the end, it will be worth the pain. Dont worry, because you will survive thanks to coffee. Always try to grab a cup of coffee before the committee work. Second of all, you should, to the furthest extent possible participate in discussions. You are here to learn, to develop and to have fun, and in order to do so you must be willing to put your heart and soul into the activities you are engaged in. I further urge you to make new friends. You are here with 150 people that you do not know; try to get to know all of them. Participants of the European Youth Parliament are people with special traits you could very possibly find someone alike yourself among the Delegates. Try to find your best EYP-Buddy. I also want to take this opportunity to ask you to thank the Organisers. The organisational team has been working very hard for a long time, and they need to be appreciated. Every piece of food you are provided, every booklet and every shuttle it is all their work and as guests you should make sure to thank them for this. Finally, I will, together with my team members, encourage you to let us take your photo. This will be your only National Selection Conference as a Delegate, and as more memories of the EYP come along, you will cherish the ones from your first session. The NSC will end but the photos taken will last forever. Also, for pure esthetical reasons, do not look aside when the Journalists are trying to take a photo, unless you want to be captured in a very inappropriate pose. Look alive. Take action. Enjoy the session. Melis

EY A P dv ice

Whos who in EYP?

BY IPEK KARAKAYA (TR)

As a Delegate, you should do yourself a favour and choose your words wisely when speaking about EYP to your family members and other EYP outsiders. They may mishear, so its good to get your terminology right during the session already. EYP consists of four groups of people. Delegates, Chairs, Organisers and last but not least, the coolest team of the session: Journalists. C for Chairperson. A Chair is the person who chairs a Committee. Every human being may be disencouraged by conflicts within a group, so Chairs are there to prevent any cases of chaos. Chairs are a guide throughout the session. A Chair never improvises. Everything is planned out beforehand. Being a Chair demands self-esteem and experience. Chairs are very experienced within EYP, so one should have faith that they will always do what is best for their Committee. The interaction within the Committee depends on the Chair. They manage teambuilding games, Committee Work, formation of the resolution and the Committees behaviour during General Assembly.

Suggestion for Delegates: Do not annoy them, you may have to end up butt spelling Im a freak. J for Journalist. During the session, the Journalists will publish newspapers in which articles and photos about the Delegates and the Committees can be found. A Journos weapons are his or her eyes and ears. They are the excellent observers - a Journalist is not limited by the daytime, they can find Delegates in the most absurd moments and document their endavours. During the time they do not spend with their Committees, they write articles. The easiest way to recognize a Journalist is to look for a camera on him/her. Suggestion for Delegates: Read the magazines. Do not make origami out of them. Reading is good. O for Organiser. Organisers are responsible for every single thing and all the people in the session. Orgas should be trusted because they do their best to keep Delegates, as well as all other participants, pleased and everything under control. They build the session. What the Delegate sits on, they put it there. What the Delegate eats, they chose it

for them. What the Delegate discusses in Committee Work, they provided the topic. So they deserve hugs. The easiest way to notice an Organiser is to look for a worn out face expression that cries out for sleep. Theres one Organiser per Committee, and many more for other parts of the session that need taking care of. Suggestion for Delegate: If you feel like having a heart attack, yell Organiser and a handful of them will arrive in less than a second. Also, do not ask them for absurd things. They cannot avocados nor voodoo needles for you. The mutual aim of the CJO team members is to make the session an experience, both related to fun and learning. A suggestion to all Delegates: recognise that all these efforts are for you. Chairs are there to spice you up, the Journos goal is to immortalise your best moments and Organisers work only for your good. So, to worth all these efforts, the Delegates job is to prepare an excellent resolution. If Committee Work is not intense and producing headaches, theres probably something wrong. EYP is a unique opportunity and offers a chance to meet fantastic people, so a final advice Enjoy it. We sure do.

A process yet to be finished

Turkeys way into the EU is not a short one, nor a simple one, and it most certainly is not over yet. BY KAAN SERDAR (TR)
The ongoing journey of Turkey in the process of entering the European Union has been a row of endless and fiery negotiations, tiny developments and hopeful, yet deceitful, agreements. The course of this journey has, to say the least, varied throughout the last fifty years. Starting as being an associate member of the EEC (European Economic Community) in 1963, Turkey applied for full membership to the community in 1987, and a custom union agreement was signed in 1996. The EEC developed into the European Union, and in 1999, a milestone was reached when Turkey was officially named as a candidate country for the EU. The official accession discussions started in 2006, when the EU provided Turkey with a set of membership criteria, namely chapters. Having the second largest military force in NATO, a very large population of around 74 million people and as a member of the G20, Turkey seeks further advancements in becoming an even more developed state. One of the most important ways to attain this aim is considered to be through membership in the EU, which many claim would benefit both parties. However, accession to the union would mean that Turkey needs to meet the criteria set by the EU, such as a developed democracy and a free market economy. Initially, one can say that Turkey has the potential of fulfilling these criteria; it has an unemployed but young and qualified labor force; a developed and already regulated trade with EU states by the customs agreement; a very rapidly growing economy. On the other hand, however, Turkey lacks co-operation with the EU in other, important areas. In particular, the chapters on freedom of expression and human rights are not considered to be fulfilled according to EU standards. Furthermore, Turkey did not show any intention to include Cyprus in the custom union agreement, practically meaning that Turkey does not allow Cyprus any access to its airports or harbors. Following this restriction, the EU, in 2006, therefore froze the related chapters until further revision. Having a lot of different views and opinions also on domestic ground, Turkeys journey of accession into the EU is yet to continue. Although the negotiations might have slowed down, both parties express positive intentions. Well representing this situation, there is a Turkish saying about the country itself and its people: We are still moving forward even though we are walking back to the end of a ship advancing.

Po lit ic

Take action yourself

Energy conservation is one of the most important issues of todays world. As fossil fuel sources are drawing close to vanishing, our dependence on energy efficiency and conservation grows. Thus, European governments, Non-Governmental Organisations and private enterprises are now taking their responsibility to reduce their carbon footprint and energy use. Theyre coordinating with each other to set and achieve a common goal, this generations golden goal. But of course, like with any other responsibility, it is the individual who needs to take action. It is our duty is to start saving energy, even in the tiniest details of our daily lives. As the youth of Europe, we are the ones who will lead the transformation to energy saving on the individual level and through this show the importance of individuals contribution to achieve our common global goal. Energy saving does not have to completely change ones habits, just modify them. Here are some minor steps that require nothing but your attention. They might seem familiar, but are still worth the reminder. For yourself, do: Unplug chargers of electrical appliances to prevent energy loss since plugged energy chargers consume energy even though nothing is being charged. Use fabric bags rather than plastic bags. Use a mug rather than plastic cups, it prevents unnecessary waste. Opt for a shower rather than a bath; it will reduce your hot water consumption. Recycle and save both material and thus energy. Prioritize Energy Star products when replacing old appliances. Draw your curtains at dusk; it maintains the heat in your room. Not leave your electrical appliances (DVDs, TVs, computers, stereos) on standby mode. Appliances being left on standby continue to consume a considerable amount of energy even though they are not in use. At home, do: Wash only full loads in a dishwasher and using the shortest cycle that will get your dishes clean. If operating instructions allow, turn off the dishwasher before the drying cycle, open the door and let the dishes dry naturally, Replace light bulbs with energy efficient ones; not only they last longer but they will also cut the cost of your electricity bill, Turn down the hot water to 60C if possible, Turn down your thermostat by just a degree, or 10% off the energy used in heating, Run your fridge in between 3-5C, Set your washing machine to 30-40C and dry, when possible, your clothes naturally. Earth provides enough to satisfy every mans need, but not every mans greed. Gandhi

BY ELIF CELEBI (TR)

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