IR/PO 226 - Geopolitics and Security of the Mediterranean Region

The Mediterranean Region is considered one of the most complex geopolitical scenarios in the world due to its historical, social and cultural wealth resulting from the presence of numerous and diverse civilizations since ancient times. In the era of globalization, peace and global security are increasingly dependent on the stability of the Mediterranean Region, undermined by long-term conflicts and new destabilizing factors.

After providing an overview of the region’s history and cultures, the course explores the social, political and economic frameworks of the main Mediterranean sub-regions such as Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and the Balkans. Students will examine the nature of different actors, from states to hostile entities, by considering specific case studies, including Greco-Turkish tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean; the Libyan civil war and the role of foreign countries; the regional identities and aspirations of the Balkan states; the outcome of the Gulf War and the challenges to global energy security; developments in the system of alliances in the Middle East; the geopolitics of North African oil; and the competition for securing maritime energy resources in the eastern Mediterranean. Contemporary security studies are discussed to contextualize the evolution of security approaches applied to the Mediterranean Region. Crucial issues affecting the Mediterranean today will be examined, including terrorist threats, the role of organized crime in human smuggling, drug trafficking and other relevant contemporary issues such as border control and migration flows.

Security and geopolitics will be presented using the paradigm of concepts and characteristics; human security, migration and transnational organized crime and terrorism will be discussed through the paradigm of concepts, actors, roots, and dynamics.