ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the debate on globalization (including the reflexive nature of the concept) with a particular emphasis on the increased intensity and scope of transnational social, economic and financial interactions. Literature on the impact of this form of globalization on the political and economic stability, and trajectory, of the Mediterranean region is reviewed. The chapter then analyses the strategies of different states in the Mediterranean to deal with globalization, including the different modes of economic and political reform adopted as well efforts to attract more trade/investment. This includes European Mediterranean states but mostly focuses on the southern and eastern shores. The role of pan-regional institutions and frameworks will also be considered (including the Union for the Mediterranean and the EU-led institutions). On a more conceptual level, the chapter offers an understanding of the Mediterranean as a highly interdependent but disunited region, which embodies many of the tensions and contradictions of globalization. Lastly the relevance of globalization in the current era of geopolitical crisis and challenges to neoliberalism is explored.
