About Occident & Orient

Occident & Orient seeks to bring ideas, analysis & reportage illustrating the age of convergence between the so-called emerging and developed worlds.

With the rise of new economic giants, most notably India and China, there is an implication for a shift in the global centre of gravity eastward and an end to the western hegemony in international influence.

That the topography of the geographic and human world is infinitely more complex than two camps; East and West, that the rise of South America and Africa will also carry importance and that the terms Occident and Orient are perhaps outdated is recognized by this journalist. However, the etymology of these words provides a metaphorical illustration to remedy these complications. The terms Orient and Occident come from the latin verb oriri and occidere; to rise and set, respectively. A reference to the sun’s daily routine across the sky, rising in the east and setting in the west.

Inspired by my recent stint working as a journalist writing economics and business stories for a Turkish newspaper in Istanbul, a city spanning east and west by residing in both Europe and Asia, this blog recognizes that a defining principle of the next century will be the rise of new powerhouses in the Middle East, Asia, Africa and South America (Orient) and a decline of the magnitude of influence of the traditional spheres of influence of Europe and North America (Occident) in world affairs.