"The threats that could lead to a Great War originate from the United States and Israel."
DUNYA-MER and the Ankara conference, 18–19 July 2026
From 18 to 19 July 2026 an event titled Alliance to Prevent a Great War convened in Ankara. The Turkish Vatan (Patriotic) Party promoted it as “a Eurasian Summit in response to the NATO Summit convened in Ankara on 7–8 July 2026.” Organisers reported the conclave attracted some 200 people and produced a final declaration that named the United States and Israel as the sources of threats that could trigger a wider war, citing: “The US‑Israeli attack on Iran, the United States’ military buildup in Ukraine and its use of proxy forces against Russia, Israel’s genocide in Gaza, and its attacks on Lebanon.”
The conference was convened by the Global Civilization Initiative Research Centre (DUNYA‑MER), which opened in Ankara in April 2026. The opening ceremony included speeches by Vatan Party leaders, DUNYA‑MER officials, and Jin Xin, deputy head of the International Department of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee. Those speeches, the organisers said, linked DUNYA‑MER to Xi Jinping’s Global Civilization Initiative and drew a parallel between Kemal Ataturk’s notion of a “social order befitting humanity” and the CCP’s “community of common destiny for humanity.”
Erbil centre and Kawa Mahmoud: December 2025 launch, April 2026 follow-up
In December 2025 Jin Xin led a CCP International Department delegation to Iraq and at that time established the first Global Civilization Initiative Research Centre in West Asia, in Erbil. The launch was reportedly attended by “over 300 representatives from political parties and think tanks of Iraq, Türkiye, Syria, Jordan and other countries.” The Erbil centre is led by Kawa Mahmoud, former secretary‑general of the Central Committee of the Kurdistan Communist Party of Iraq.
Five months later, in April 2026, Jin hosted a delegation from the Iraq Global Civilization Initiative Research Centre in Beijing. The visiting group included political party representatives and think‑tank scholars from Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon who were reported as “speaking positively of the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind and the four global initiatives proposed by General Secretary Xi Jinping.”
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Get a security leadTehran visit and the Iranian Research Institute for Islamic Culture and Thought
In August 2026, a delegation from the Iranian Research Institute for Islamic Culture and Thought made its first visit to the CCP International Department in Beijing, where it was again hosted by Jin Xin. Delegation leaders said the Iranian institute had recently established a Global Civilization Initiative research centre in Tehran. The head of the Iranian delegation “highly praised the Global Civilization Initiative proposed by General Secretary Xi Jinping” and said “the Iranian leadership attaches great importance to developing Iran–China relations, particularly in exchanging experiences in governance and promoting mutual learning among civilisations.”
Beijing’s Global Civilization Institute and the institutional thread
To coordinate these West Asian efforts, a Global Civilization Institute was inaugurated in Beijing under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in July 2026. The Institute is described as acting “as a comprehensive academic platform aimed at advancing research on civilizations and promoting exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.” Across Ankara, Erbil, Tehran and Beijing, a consistent institutional thread is visible: the CCP’s International Department figures prominently, Jin Xin appears repeatedly as the host or delegation leader, and each centre is explicitly linked to Xi Jinping’s Global Civilization Initiative.
What this means for Turkish, Iraqi Kurdish, and Iranian actors
- Turkish political actors and groups associated with the Vatan Party now have an Ankara‑based research centre, DUNYA‑MER, that publicly frames its work alongside Xi Jinping’s Global Civilization Initiative and situates itself in opposition to NATO and Western policies.
- Iraqi Kurdish political and intellectual networks have a locally led Erbil centre under Kawa Mahmoud that has engaged regional parties and think tanks and sent a delegation to Beijing to express positive views on the Global Civilization Initiative.
- The Iranian Research Institute for Islamic Culture and Thought has established a Tehran centre and its delegation told the CCP International Department that “the Iranian leadership attaches great importance to developing Iran–China relations,” especially on governance exchanges and “mutual learning among civilisations.”
The pattern is clear in the record: the CCP’s International Department has established parallel research centres in Ankara, Erbil and Tehran, and created a coordinating academic body in Beijing. These institutions overtly promote the Global Civilization Initiative while, the reporting argues, also serving as outlets for CCP influence and propaganda intended to deepen anti‑Western sentiment in the region. As the source puts it, “all regions need to watch closely how China is using these Global Civilization Initiative bodies for influence and propaganda.”
