The US in the Eastern Mediterranean Region

The US is beginning to clarify its position on key flashpoints in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

 
The US Department of State recently appointed Richard Norland as the country’s special envoy to Libya. Norland, a career diplomat who became US ambassador to Libya in August 2019, will coordinate with the Government of National Unity (GNU) on stabilising Libya and ensuring that national elections are held as scheduled in December 2021.

The State Department’s appointment rectifies former President Donald Trump’s apathy towards the Libyan conflict, but US strategy towards the Eastern Mediterranean remains ambiguous. The Biden administration has not developed a consistent policy towards Turkey, lacks a clear blueprint to assert US diplomatic influence in Libya and has not clarified its policy towards Syria’s reconstruction.

 
DETERIORATING RELATIONS WITH TURKEY

Before his inauguration, it was widely believed that US–Turkey relations would deteriorate under Joe Biden’s presidency. As Biden described Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as an autocrat in December 2019, he was expected to pressure the Turkish president on human rights and consider imposing sanctions against Turkey over its purchase of Russia’s S-400 missile defence system. Turkish state-aligned media outlets raised alarm about Biden’s January 2020 interview calling for regime change in Turkey and claimed that Biden’s election victory caused the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units to become more aggressive. Anticipating a harder US line on Turkey, Greece welcomed Biden’s ascent to the presidency. During a press conference with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi on 11 November 2020, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed confidence that Biden would restore US leadership in the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean.

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Πηγή: rusi.org