The Strategic Nexus in the Eastern Mediterranean

The Eastern Mediterranean has been an epicenter of great power competition for over two millennia, owing to its strategic location, cultural significance, and intersection of crucial maritime routes. In recent years, natural gas finds off the coasts of Cyprus, Israel and Egypt have prompted a renewed interest in this region. New security alliances have emerged to safeguard these finds.

With significant developments reshaping geopolitics of the region, including the historic Abraham Accords normalization agreements and the launch of the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum, Middle Eastern countries are more integrated with their European neighbors across the Mediterranean more than ever before. What challenges and opportunities exist for this budding region? As the United States seeks to “pivot” its attention to larger strategic threats, what security commitments to the region, politically and militarily, ought Washington be considering in the Eastern Mediterranean?

This event, hosted by FDD’s Turkey Program and Center on Military and Political Power, was a breakout session of the Delphi Economic Forum.

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The Foundation for Defense of Democracies is a Washington, DC-based non-partisan policy institute focusing on foreign policy and national security. For more information, please visit www.fdd.org. Follow FDD on Twitter @FDD.

Since the rise of the Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) to power and Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s subsequent consolidation of one-man rule, Turkey has transformed from a trusted NATO ally with a commitment to secular governance and rule of law to a far more difficult actor. FDD’s Turkey Program seeks to inform policymakers and the public about the AKP’s dangerous and anti-American policies that threaten Turkish and Western security.

FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power promotes understanding of the defense strategies, policies, and capabilities necessary to deter and defeat threats to the freedom, security, and prosperity of Americans and our allies by providing rigorous, timely, and relevant research and analysis.