A Leading Role for the EU in the Eastern Mediterranean

Let me address the issue of policy proposals first directly by stating that, from a US perspective, an honest broker is not always an even broker. We should not accept that arguments voiced by each party have equal validity. Turkey’s extralegal maritime arrangements with Libya and its other fanciful claims, for example, have no legal basis.

As we discuss European Union and U.S. Energy and Security Policies toward the Eastern Mediterranean, it is important to appreciate the big picture: Energy policy in the region could be the core of a revitalized European Union defense and foreign policy. It is not the job of the United States to take the lead, but we should be supportive of Europe as European officials formulate and advance this policy.

Both Europe and the United States can now act from experience. The European Union’s disastrous experience with dependence upon Russia provides an important lesson: Never give a non-European Union member or autocracy leverage over Europe’s energy and economic policies. This applies not only to Russia, but to other revisionist powers like Turkey and Iran.

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Πηγή: aei.org