Embracing the future: Rise of regional economic integration

The strengthening trend of regionalization in the global economy is evident, with countries increasingly opting for regional choices to enhance their security

Scenarios for the near future are circulating within international organizations and think tanks, covering geopolitical, climate crisis and sectoral perspectives. Strategic forecast teams are actively developing scenarios concerning potential threats and disasters. In these studies, three crucial aspects emerge for each country’s national security: political security, military security and economic security.

Political security entails safeguarding the democratic regime and electoral system from internal and external interference, ensuring complete independence and sovereignty. In a world where artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms may manipulate voter preferences even for the election processes of the most developed countries, protecting against conventional and cyberbased disinformation attacks, provocative operations and perception manipulations is essential to preserve the democratic regime.

Military security entails the establishment of a comprehensive defense network, strategically relying on a substantial portion of national resources. It encompasses the development of an offensive capability with heightened deterrent power, bolstered by well-equipped land, sea and air platforms dedicated to safeguarding borders. A country’s intelligence security is an indispensable part of this, requiring the implementation of an efficient, highly digitalized intelligence network. Additionally, always being one step ahead of various threats through multilayered data analysis is the most indispensable opportunity and capability in the current era.

ECONOMY IN FOCUS

Economic security encompasses the creation of a resilient and sustainable framework that addresses a country’s production, employment, investment and export capacity. Its goal is to fortify financial

markets against unforeseen shocks and establish a reliable supply chain for raw materials, energy and final products, both domestically and internationally, by fostering a robust foreign supply network. The prevailing era of heightened geopolitical and geo-economic tension underscores the imperative for continual reassessment and redesign of economic policies to navigate and adapt to evolving global dynamics.

The primary focus lies in subjecting the real and financial sectors to a “stress test” to identify and address vulnerabilities. Geopolitical threats have transformed essential resources like food, energy derivatives, raw materials, critical mines and minerals into weapons. The “Age of Uncertainty” compels countries to shift from a global to a regional modeling approach. The strengthening trend of regionalization in the global economy is evident, with countries increasingly opting for regional choices to enhance their security. Consequently, regional economic integration is poised to become a prominent theme in the foreseeable future.

The nail is being hammered into the coffin of the once-idealized concept of “globalization” at the turn of the 21st century. Countries are now reinforcing alliances on a regional basis, gearing up for the challenging task of restructuring sectors, exports, production and investment processes. In a world marked by heightened politicization, preparedness for all scenarios is imperative.

“The ‘Age of Uncertainty’ compels countries to shift from a global to a regional modeling approach.”