ABSTRACT

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.

chapter 1|20 pages

War, Peace and Stability in the Era of Multipolarity

What Lies at the End of the Systemic Rainbow?

chapter 4|12 pages

US Foreign Policy in the Eastern Mediterranean

The Limits of Smart Power

chapter 5|16 pages

The Dragon's Rise in the Great Sea

China's Strategic Interests in the Levant and the Eastern Mediterranean

chapter 6|14 pages

Penelope Unraveling

The Obama Administration's Policy in the Eastern Mediterranean

chapter 7|26 pages

“Smart” Leadership in a Small State

The Case of Cyprus

chapter 8|14 pages

Structure over Agency

The Arab Uprising and the Regional Struggle for Power

chapter 9|14 pages

Reorienting Turkish Foreign Policy

Successes, Failures, Limitations

chapter 10|14 pages

Vernacular Security in the Eastern Mediterranean after the Arab Spring

The Cases of Egypt and Jordan

chapter 12|12 pages

Beyond Hegemony

Cyprus, Energy Securitization and the Emergence of New Regional Security Complexes

chapter 13|16 pages

A Most Vicious Weapon

Rape, War and Civil Strife in the Arab World

chapter 14|14 pages

Reasserting Normalcy in Iran's Foreign Policy Realm

Continuities, Challenges and Opportunities

chapter 15|18 pages

The Call of the Sea

Strategic Opportunities and Challenges for Israel in the Eastern Mediterranean

chapter 16|16 pages

The Israeli–Greek Rapprochement

Stability and Cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean