Geostrategic Alliances in the Eastern Mediterranean and MENA (eBook)

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. 

Thrassy Marketos is a visiting Professor and scientific researcher at the University of Peloponnese, Tripolis (Greece), a Eurasia Energy Security Geopolitics Scientific Researcher and Lecturer at the Continuous Education Institute (IDE), Hellenic Military Headforces, Athens (Greece), and a member of the advisory board of the South-eastern Europe Energy Institute (IENE), Athens (Greece). He holds a degree in law from the Athens National and Kapodistrian University (Greece), specializing in Public International and International Economic Law at the University of Aix - Marseille III (France), and holds a PhD in International Relations from the Panteion University of Athens (Greece). Marketos has also worked for the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Nicolas Mazzucchi is a Research Fellow at the Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique, Paris (France) and in charge of both the 'energy, and primary goods ' and 'cyber' issues. He holds a PhD in Economic Geography from Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne (France). Before joining the FRS, he was in charge of the energy analysis team at the French Ministry of the Armed Forces. He teaches international relations, energy geoeconomics, and cyber strategy at the Ecole Militaire in Paris. Further, Mazzucchi is a scientific advisor in foresight analysis for Futuribles International and auditor of the 25th session of the French War College (Ecole de Guerre).

Thomas A. Alexopoulos is an Assistant Professor on energy and environmental economics, Research Director of the E-Cube Lab, at the University of Peloponnese (Greece), and Research Fellow at the International Centre of Economic Analysis (ICEA). Previously, he worked as a Research Fellow at the University of Bologna (Italy), Department of Economics. His research fields are in Energy Finance, Energy Economics, Applied Econometrics and Environmental Economics. His academic work has been awarded and published in several Journals (The Energy Journal, Energy Economics, Environmental and Resource Economics, Energy Policy, etc.). He has also participated in a series of International Conferences around the world and has contributed, as an author, to several volumes. In addition, he represents the University of Peloponnese in the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UN SDSN).