Never before has politics needed knowledge as much as in our time
The problems of society and the great challenges facing our country demand a responsible approach and well-founded study. Those who rely on empiricism, on improvisation, on "making it up as they go", very quickly discover that they can neither see nor act. Half-knowledge in private life is a serious disadvantage. In public life, ignorance and half-knowledge expose society and the country to great dangers — especially in an era as demanding and complex as the one we are living through. For Cyprus, which for half a century has faced the Turkish occupation, the danger is not merely great; it is existential.
The complexity of the problems imposes on political leadership the duty to incorporate into its everyday practice, and into its strategy, not simply the knowledge of each individual scientific discipline, but an interdisciplinary approach. For example, in politics, economic science without social psychology and the study of mentalities and behaviours is "crippled". The same is true in foreign policy: international cooperation, but also national rivalries, do not have only political aspects, but constitute a multidimensional geopolitical complex with economic, historical, cultural and religious parameters.
From the environment shaped by modern society and the information economy, the politics of knowledge emerges as an urgent need. News, information, rumours — even, if not above all, fake news — spread in an instant. Digital financial transactions take place instantaneously. The time margins for political reaction and action are not merely narrowed, but reduced to zero. This particular condition of exercising politics distinguishes the 21st century from the previous one. Today and tomorrow, more than ever, politics must be prepared, so as to act effectively, but also instantly. Woe betide us, however, if "instantly" means superficially, or improvising in the moment.
Thirty years in politics taught me that wisdom for a leader is not to play the know-it-all, but to seek the wisdom of the experts.
With my eyes on tomorrow, I take the initiative to found Think Cyprus: an independent centre for study and dialogue on the issues and problems that are critical for Cypriot society.
Its purpose is to equip politics with the power of knowledge, to empower society with the strength of self-awareness, and to offer young people the scientific data and the means to seize the future of their country.
Cyprus as the Silicon Island of the Mediterranean; Cyprus as a centre of wellbeing for millions of affluent potential visitors; a United, Free Cyprus as an energy hub in the region — these are the first goals and themes that Think Cyprus will address.
By commissioning studies from experts, and through conferences of dialogue and the dissemination of new ideas, we seek to become part of a revolution in knowledge — one that politics needs and that the times and society demand.
— Averof Neofytou