Electric car: Autonomous foreign policy

Mark P. Mills wrote report “Electric Vehicles for Everyone? An Impossible Dream” for Electric Vehicles (EVs) for the Manhattan Institute. The report reminded NROs Andrew Stuttaford “Mills bomb” and explained why in his article:

The popular name of the British pineapple hand grenade that debuted during World War I was “The Mills bomb”. Mills (combustion engine) believes the war on cars is about more than the climate, noting that “in many environmental circles, car culture is viewed as inherently toxic and unnatural.” According to him, “simply speaking, it would be reasonable to conclude that ‘they are coming for your cars.’

So: a hand grenade in EV form!

I’m less car-obsessed than Mark, Andrew, and my entire generation; However, I do know the facts that shape the future of planetary transportation. As we learned from Mark and Andrew, unfortunately a third of electric cars sold globally in 2022 were hybrids using combustion engines, which politicians want to ban. The EV revolution is not coming anytime soon. Several CEOs of car companies describe EVs as “a technology chosen by politicians, not by industry.” This means that bringing about transformation on a global scale will take more than a handful of hand grenades from politicians.

Gift, message

If President Recep Tayyip Erdogan introduced EVs to all homeowners in three Gulf countries last week, is he delivering the technology to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), or is he sending an emblematic political message?

Yes, policymakers want to move to more environmentally friendly technologies, regardless of what markets consumers want and producers can produce. Saudi Arabia is the second largest oil producer in the world, the UAE is the seventh, and Qatar is the 14th. Turkey is not so lucky when it comes to oil production; although its new discoveries promise a brighter future, it still invests in non-fossil fuel-based energy fields such as nuclear and solar power. In trying to encourage the leaders of these major oil producers to embrace EV technology, I suspect that Erdogan is simply pursuing a strategically independent plan of action in the international arena.

In short, when you give an EV to an oil-producing landlord, you mean something else. (See my take on Raymond Carvers short story “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love” here.)

Erdoğan did this at the NATO summit in Vilnius: he brought up again Turkey’s demand for EU membership and went one step further. Using the will of the people regarding Russia’s attack on Ukraine, Erdogan expressed his vision of “strengthening the axis of Turkey”, that is, creating a belt of peace, stability and prosperity around the country. This allows us to go one step further than independence and sovereignty; we start talking about strategic autonomy.

As he embarked on a four-country Gulf Tour (the Republic of Turkey on the island of Cyprus isn’t exactly in the Arabian Gulf, but close enough!), Erdogan said:

“The ongoing crises in the Muslim world call for close consultations and cooperation with the Gulf countries. We continue our efforts in accordance with our goal of creating a belt of peace, stability and prosperity around Turkey. We have recently made significant progress in our relations with the Gulf countries, where historical and fraternal ties have deep roots.”

Erdogan emphasized that his main agenda would be joint investment and trade activities with these countries, but that creating a “belt of peace, stability and prosperity” requires more than joint investment and trade activities; The leaders of Turkey and the Muslim Arab world in the Gulf region should exercise their “strategic autonomy” in the international arena.

For example, offering the world’s major oil producers to co-invest in EV technology is just one example of getting them (permit a cliché here) to think outside the box. If your entire territory doesn’t have armed forces for some brutal neighbor, you’re independent. If you do not recognize the authority of the British crown in your constitution, you are sovereign! But in the tangled web of alliances, leagues, treaties, and associations of our time, we must step back a little and ask whether our nation is really behaving autonomously. Can we as a nation challenge ourselves, rediscover self-confidence and act accordingly? Then (here comes another cliché) the sky’s the limit!

Erdoğan’s EV presentation to leaders of oil-producing countries goes beyond bilateral trade and represents strategic thinking on a wide range of areas, including mutual investments, defense cooperation, national security, and solidarity in the face of regional and global challenges. The young leaders of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar should ask themselves why the United States is occupying almost half of Syria. Why does a man who betrays his leader and his country, whose residence and citizenship are in the United States, occupy half of Libya and usurp its national resources? Why are Iran’s mullahs creating their own Shiite Crescents from Yemen to Lebanon? Why are at least 10 children dying of measles every week in Sudan amid conflict between two warring factions backed by the young UAE president Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ) and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), who until a year ago were best friends?

Thus, an EV is a call to “further diversify your economic, security and partnership ties in regional and international relations,” as Erdogan sometimes puts it. You must overcome the schemes and plans laid out for you in Washington, DC and London and create autonomous game plans for your people.

An electric car is sometimes more than just a car.