Download or read book Geostrategic Alliances in the Eastern Mediterranean and MENA written by Thrassy Marketos and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-04-13 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines the geostrategic alliances in the Eastern Mediterranean and MENA regions. It analyzes how these alliances transcend stereotyped political and cultural prototypes throughout western Eurasia as the outcome of shifting regional power balances. The authors explain how this development has its foundation mostly in the United States' ‘Pivot to Asia’ policy, resulting in a lower priority ranking of the Middle East for Washington, but also in the emergence of China’s economic incursion on the wider region. The book looks into and presents different reasons for this paradigm shift: First and foremost, the historical ambitions and conflicting assertions of sovereignty in the region. Then, competition over control of hydrocarbons reserves and pipeline politics, civil wars, and political chaos in certain littoral states. US retrenchment and Russia’s naval base expansion in Syria, as well as Turkish expansion in Libya, NATO allies divisions and, not to reckon with, waves of migration and refugees. Yet some internal and external factors could lead to some changes in these trends, including the need to engage in energy transitions due to climate change consequences in the region. Therefore, this book is a must-read for scholars, students, policy-makers, and practitioners interested in a better understanding of the political development in the Eastern Mediterranean and MENA regions, as well as of International Relations in general.

Download or read book The scramble for the Eastern Mediterranean written by Valeria Talbot and published by Ledizioni. This book was released on 2021-10-01 with total page 107 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the past few years, the Eastern Mediterranean has become a major hotspot for both natural gas and geopolitical competition. Natural gas discoveries in the last decade have attracted growing interest from regional countries and beyond. However, recent escalations in tensions and outright confrontations suggest that competition goes beyond the scramble for energy. Indeed, natural gas is just one of the factors that contribute to shaping security and geopolitical dynamics in the Eastern Mediterranean, which has emerged as a crucial strategic area in the broader Mediterranean and the Middle East.Moving from the analysis of these interconnected factors, this Report examines the strategy and the plethora of interests of regional and international players, as well as the interplay between cooperative and competitive dynamics in the region.What are the geopolitical, security, and energy interests of the countries involved? What are the implications on the regional security context of the moves and policies of regional and international powers?

Download or read book The Eastern Mediterranean in Transition written by Spyridon N. Litsas and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-03-09 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The wider region of the Eastern Mediterranean is in transition. What is being evinced is a situation of continuous volatility, centering on developments such as the ’Arab Spring,’ the Greek sovereign debt crisis, Islamic terrorism, the continuation of deadlock over the Cypriot and Palestinian Issues, significant energy finds in the Levantine Basin, concerns over nuclear proliferation and, more recently, the Syrian Civil War. At a systemic level, the move towards a regional multipolar reality has also contributed to volatility by creating a crescendo of antagonisms between all the major international actors who continuously strive for more influence, power and prestige. This collective project by leading experts represents a unique combination of International Theory and International Politics analysis that deals exclusively with the wider Eastern Mediterranean. It scrutinizes in a multidimensional manner the current geostrategic and geopolitical conditions that include the latest domestic socio-political events, as well as the active involvement of the Great Powers in the region. This book should be of interest to academics, decision-makers and a general reading public focusing on a significant and influential region in flux.

Download or read book Conflict and Prosperity written by Andreas Stergiou and published by Israel Academic Press. This book was released on 2017-08-07 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The eastern part of the Mediterranean is witnessing some of the most intriguing, and dangerous events in today's world. It features weak or collapsed states, direct and proxy wars, and a confluence of great power stakes. In recent years a new and significant element has been added to the region's troubled search for equilibrium: the discovery of substantial treasures of offshore energy. These energy discoveries are widely recognized as a game-changer. This volume investigates the extent of this change and the range of its implications. The Eastern Mediterranean has historically been a meeting point of east and west, of the economic north and south and of three major world religions: Christianity, Islam and Judaism. However, this volume proposes to view the Eastern Mediterranean as a separate "new" region, and not as a mere extension of neighboring continents or even of the Middle East. This analytical frame stands at the center of the book.

Download or read book The Arms Race in the Middle East written by Mohammad Eslami and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2023-07-28 with total page 383 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This edited volume discusses security policy and strategic policymaking in the Middle East region. Due to its unique geopolitical, geoeconomic and geostrategic features, the Middle East region has been confronted with challenging security issues. Combined with a lack of an efficient regional security regime this has led to the formation of a full-fledged arms race. This book draws together contributions from international experts to address the factors that have been contributing to the ongoing formation of an arms race in the Middle East as well as the impact of this phenomenon on the regional and global security environment. The book is organized in three sections. The first section outlines the contemporary dynamics of the arms race in the Middle East by focusing on its most recent dynamics and their implications for regional and international security. The second section conducts systematic analysis of case studies of country-specific drivers of the arms race. The third and final section examines the role of external actors in the arms race, evaluating both the responses of regional actors to external interventions as well as the implications of the arms race for extra-regional countries.

Download or read book The MENA Region a great power competition written by AA.VV and published by Ledizioni. This book was released on 2019-10-01 with total page 173 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The volume deals with competition among regional and external players for the redistribution of power and international status in the Middle East and North Africa, with a focus on Russia’s renewed role and the implications for US interests. Over the last few years, a crisis of legitimacy has beset the liberal international order. In this context, the configuration of regional orders has come into question, as in the extreme case of the current collapse in the Middle East. The idea of a “Russian resurgence” in the Middle East set against a perceived American withdrawal has captured the attention of policymakers and scholars alike, warranting further examination. This volume, a joint publication by ISPI and the Atlantic Council, gathers analysis on Washington’s and Moscow’s policy choices in the MENA region and develops case studies of the two powers’ engagament in the countries beset by major crises.

Download or read book Geopolitics of the New Middle East written by Şaban Kardaş and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2023-06-26 with total page 119 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This edited book takes a critical look at the geopolitics of the broader Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. It scrutinizes some of the perennial issues shaping the regional security agenda, as well as the emerging geopolitical trends in the wake of a decade of turmoil triggered by the demands for political and economic reforms. The contributors explore the geopolitical implications of the structural transformation process in the MENA region and beyond, which has unleashed destabilizing forces and multifaceted conflicts, with the involvement of many local, regional and global actors. They also look at how some of the regional actors have reacted to the risks and security challenges produced by the wave of instability and conflicts, and conducted their foreign policy in this volatile period of fluid alliances. Other contributors explore the roles and perspectives of major extra-regional actors, delving deeper into how they have adjusted their policies towards the emergence of a new order and reshuffling of alignments. This book will be of interest to researchers and advanced students of politics, international relations, and political geography. It was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies.

Download or read book Globalization and Geopolitics in the Middle East written by Anoushiravan Ehteshami and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2007-03-14 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Examining globalization in the Middle East, this book provides a much needed assessment of the impact of globalization in the ‘greater’ Middle East, including North Africa, in the context of the powerful geopolitical forces at work in shaping the region today. Written by a well-known authority in this area, this book demonstrates that, unlike in other regions, such as East Asia, geopolitics has been a critical factor in driving globalization in the Middle East. The author argues that whereas elsewhere globalisation has opened up the economy, society, culture and attitudes to the environment; in the Middle East it has had the opposite effect, with poor state formation, little interregional trade, foreign and interregional investment, and reassertion of traditional identities. This book explores the impact of globalization on the polities, economies and social environment of the greater Middle East, in the context of the region’s position as the central site of global geopolitical competition at the start of the twenty-first century.

Download or read book Routledge Companion to China and the Middle East and North Africa written by Yahia H. Zoubir and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2023-05-16 with total page 569 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Focusing on China’s relations with the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), this Companion provides essential analysis of a complex region which threatens to become the battleground for rival powers in the future. The Routledge Companion to China and the Middle East and North Africa brings together China scholars from around the world, including from China, the MENA region, the United States, Asia, and Europe. The contributors, experts in their respective areas––which range from politics, military and nuclear power to economics, energy, and tourism––use different methodologies to understand China’s policies in the MENA. Topics analyzed include Chinese investment in infrastructure, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Belt and Road Initiative. Divided into three Parts, the book addresses China’s multidimensional presence in the MENA and its impact on the region while also explicating the MENA’s relations with its traditional Western allies. Bilateral relations and people-to-people interactions are also explored and provide in-depth context to the areas of cooperation that are part of China’s dealings with its partners in the region. Combining contemporary analysis with accessible prose, the book will be of interest to students, scholars, and policy-makers active in international relations, security studies, and economics, as well to general audiences interested in the MENA region.

Download or read book The Geopolitics of the Middle East written by International Institute for Strategic Studies and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 420 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Complete set Since 1961 the Adelphi Papers have provided some of the most informed accounts of international and strategic relations. Produced by the world renowned International Institute of Strategic Studies, each paper provides a short account of a subject of topical interest by a leading military figure, policy maker or academic. The project reprints the first forty years of papers, arranged into thematic sets. The collection as a whole provides a rich and insightful account of international affairs during a period which spans the second half of the Cold War, the fall of the communist bloc and the emergence of a new regime with the United States as the sole superpower. There is a wealth of global coverage: Four volumes on east and southeast Asia as well as individual volumes on China, Japan and Korea Particular attention is given to the Middle East, with volumes addressing internal sources of instability; geo-politics and the role of the superpowers; the Israel-Palestine conflict; and the Iran-Iraq War and the first Gulf War. There is also a volume on oil and insecurity There are also two volumes on Africa, the site of most of the world's wars during the period. The IISS has obviously made a particular contribution to the understanding of military strategy, and this is reflected with material on topics such as urban and guerrilla warfare, nuclear deterrence and the role of information in modern warfare. Volumes on military strategy are complemented by approaches from other disciplines, such as defence economics. Key selling points: Early papers were only distributed by the IISS and will have achieved limited penetration of the academic market A host of major authors on a range of different subjects (eg Gerald Segal on China, Michael Leifer on Southeast Asia, Sir Lawrence Freidman on the revolution in military affairs, Raymond Vernon on multinationals and defence economics) Individual volumes will have a strong appeal to different markets (eg the volume on defence economics for economists, various volumes for Asian Studies etc)

Download or read book Greece s New Geopolitics written by Ian O. Lesser and published by Rand Corporation. This book was released on 2001-11-05 with total page 145 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Greece has been profoundly affected by recent changes in the internationalenvironment, on its borders, and within the country itself. Manylong-standing assumptions about Greek interests and Greece_s role havefallen away and have been supplanted by new approaches. The country hasbecome progressively more modern and more European, and its internationalpolicy has become more sophisticated. At the same time, the geopoliticalscene has evolved in ways that present new challenges and new opportunitiesfor Athens in its relations with Europe, the United States, and neighboringcountries. Many of these challenges cross traditional regional boundariesand underscore Greece_s potential to play a transregional role, lookingoutward from Europe to the Mediterranean, Eurasia, and the Middle East. Thisreport explores the new geopolitical environment Greece faces, payingspecial attention to the implications for southeastern Europe andtransatlantic relations; explores options for Greek strategy; and offerssome new directions for policy in Greece and on both sides of the Atlantic.

Download or read book Struggle for Alliance written by Abdolrasool Divsallar and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2024-08-22 with total page 381 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides a comprehensive study of the complex impacts of the war in Ukraine on Russo-Iranian relations, and the resulting consequences for the international relations of the Middle East. In contrast to dominant academic approaches, which view Russo-Iranian relations through the lens of an anti-hegemonic agenda and confrontation with the US-led international order, this study presents an alternative angle stating that the war in Ukraine has sped up Moscow and Tehran's interdependency, primarily because of the protective benefits that it brings to both states. The book analyzes various debates about the impact of the war on Russo-Iranian relations. From the perspective of the emerging literature on authoritarian regionalism, the book explores how domestic politics and common threat perceptions play a role in these states' decisions to adjust to the systemic changes caused by the war. Chapters address how changes in the strategic environment are affecting Moscow and Tehran's perception of each other, what factors contribute the most to both states' decision to pursue greater cooperation and how they manage the new conflicts of interest raised by the war. The book also queries whether relations continue to be based on tactical partnership, or whether a stronger alliance between Moscow and Tehran is unfolding, and what the consequences of such a struggle for alliance will be for the wider region.

Download or read book Northern Europe and the Making of the EU s Mediterranean and Middle East Policies written by Timo Behr and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-05-23 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What drives European foreign policy towards the wider Mediterranean and Middle East region? This collection takes an innovative approach to answering this question, by considering the impact of intra-European divisions on European polices towards this crucial region. European foreign policy has traditionally been defined by a clear division of labour: southern European member states take the lead in the EU’s southern neighbourhood, while central and northern European countries drive policies in the EU’s eastern neighbourhood. The resulting north-south split has entrenched geo-clientalistic behaviour as a core principle of EU foreign policy-making and has fuelled a static intra-European competition over influence and resources. However, as European power dynamics shift, these old divisions no longer hold and northern and central European countries have been pushed towards a more pro-active role in the region. But what factors are shaping the foreign policies of these countries in the Mediterranean and Middle East? What has been their contribution to common EU polices? And does their growing activism signal an end to old geo-clientalistic division as a core driver of European foreign policy?

Download or read book The Hijaz written by Malik Dahlan and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018-08-01 with total page 459 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dahlan offers an alternative vision of Islamic governance through the history and promise of the Hijaz, the first state of Islam. The Hijaz, in the west of present-day Saudi Arabia, was the first Islamic state in Mecca and Medina. This new interpretative history offers a fresh vision of Islamic governance and law as a positive force for political reform in the Middle East and beyond. Applying key Islamic principles of public good to contemporary life, Malik Dahlan challenges two dominant narratives. He reclaims the development of Islamic statecraft as the wellspring of collective identity and statesmanship in the Arab world, simultaneously influenced and disrupted by Westphalian statehood models and Enlightenment notions of self-determination. He equally rejects the appropriation of Islamic governance and the Caliphate concept by both the post-modern, non-territorial Al-Qaeda and the neo-medievalist ISIS. Celebrating the history and untapped potential of a region where Arab leaders built the ideological foundations of an emerging polity, The Hijaz is a compelling alternative analysis of governance in the Arabian Peninsula and the global Islamic community, and of its interaction with the wider world.

Download or read book Looking West The Rise of Asia in the Middle East written by Valeria Talbot and published by Ledizioni. This book was released on 2020-09-09 with total page 98 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As the world’s economic and political centre of gravity moves increasingly towards East and South Asia, we can expect a number of countries in these regions to devote more attention to the Middle East. The relations between East and South Asia and the Middle East have significantly expanded as a result of the global rise of Asian economic powers, particularly China, India, Japan and South Korea. Not only oil but also trade, investment, infrastructure, and tourism is the name of the business with the MENA region. Beyond energy and economic interests, questions arise about the potential geopolitical dimension of these evolving ties. What are the strategic implications of the projection of Asian countries in an unstable, fragmented and volatile region? How do they interact with each other and with other international players? Last but not least, will the Covid-19 pandemic be a game changer in (re)shaping relations in the future?

Download or read book Regions and Powers written by Barry Buzan and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2003-12-04 with total page 598 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book develops the idea that since decolonisation, regional patterns of security have become more prominent in international politics. The authors combine an operational theory of regional security with an empirical application across the whole of the international system. Individual chapters cover Africa, the Balkans, CIS Europe, East Asia, EU Europe, the Middle East, North America, South America, and South Asia. The main focus is on the post-Cold War period, but the history of each regional security complex is traced back to its beginnings. By relating the regional dynamics of security to current debates about the global power structure, the authors unfold a distinctive interpretation of post-Cold War international security, avoiding both the extreme oversimplifications of the unipolar view, and the extreme deterritorialisations of many globalist visions of a new world disorder. Their framework brings out the radical diversity of security dynamics in different parts of the world.

Download or read book The Frailty of Authority written by Lorenzo Kamel and published by Edizioni Nuova Cultura. This book was released on 2017-03-31 with total page 162 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Governance failures, combined with 21st-century social, economic, environmental and demographic conditions, have all contributed to paving the way for the rise of highly heterogeneous non-state and quasi-state actors in the Middle East. Has the state, then, been irremediably undermined, or will the current transition lead to the emergence of new state entities? How can the crumbling of states and the redrawing of borders be reconciled with the exacerbation of traditional inter-state competition, including through proxy wars? How can a new potential regional order be framed and imagined? This volume provides a historical background and policy answers to these and a number of other related questions, analysing developments in the region from the standpoint of the interplay between disintegration and polarization.