A Strategic Evaluation Of Energy Security In The Eastern Mediterranean

An Overview of Eastern Mediterranean, Middle East and Energy Issues -- Energy, Energy Resources, Energy Security and its Basic Principles -- Analyzing Energy Security -- The Eastern Mediterranean in the European Union Foreign and Energy Policy -- Energy Security in the Eastern Mediterranean -- Conclusions.

This book aims to provide an overview of crucial aspects related to the interconnection between the political economy of energy security and national security, which is of great importance globally due to high volatility and complexity. In this book, contemporary energy issues in relation to the energy security are examined, along with main vulnerabilities and challenges that have appeared lately with an impact beyond country borders and with a particular focus on the Eastern Mediterranean region. Energy security is studied on both International and European level and finally the Eastern Mediterranean region with special reference to the countries of the State of Israel and the Republic of Cyprus. The rapidly changing geopolitical environment makes energy security one of the critical areas of immediate interest that need a holistic approach. The importance of energy security in the Eastern Mediterranean region is constantly growing and requires the proper vision to enhance security in the region. Energy is now linked to the issues of sustainable development and tackling climate change, which is also taken into account. Finally, this book is expected to contribute to the existing literature and provide an in-depth study that gives a fresh approach to the academic and political community.

Over the past few years, the Eastern Mediterranean has become a major hotspot for both natural gas and geopolitical competition. Natural gas discoveries in the last decade have attracted growing interest from regional countries and beyond. However, recent escalations in tensions and outright confrontations suggest that competition goes beyond the scramble for energy. Indeed, natural gas is just one of the factors that contribute to shaping security and geopolitical dynamics in the Eastern Mediterranean, which has emerged as a crucial strategic area in the broader Mediterranean and the Middle East.Moving from the analysis of these interconnected factors, this Report examines the strategy and the plethora of interests of regional and international players, as well as the interplay between cooperative and competitive dynamics in the region.What are the geopolitical, security, and energy interests of the countries involved? What are the implications on the regional security context of the moves and policies of regional and international powers?

The relationship between energy and security has been receiving increasing attention over the last few years. Energy literally drives the global economy. Societies rely on it for everything from advanced medical equipment to heating, cooling, and irrigation. Whether it derives from advanced nuclear reactors in developed nations or simple wood stoves in the developing world, energy is recognized as vital to human welfare. It influences our economic, political, and social policies. Possessing or not possessing sufficient energy determines a state's political and economic power. Competition for energy has been, is, and will be a source of conflict. The choices nation-states make when it comes to energy will have a profound bearing on a wide range of security concerns, from nuclear proliferation to climate change.

Combining theoretical reflections and empirical insights from paradigmatic case studies in the area of external energy governance, pipeline politics, Liquefied Natural Gas development and offshore petroleum policy and politics, this ground-breaking study demonstrates that a distinctive and new politics of energy security is definitively emerging in the European Union. Innovative not only in regard to the case studies presented (which include the Caspian region, the Baltic, Mediterrean countries, Central Asia and EU-Russia relations), but also in regard to the analytical framework adopted – an International Political Economy approach informed by an historical institutional perspective – the book challenges the common view of the ‘de-politicisation’ of energy security supported by the mainstream market approach and the power politics and ‘zero-sum game’ view supported by the geopolitical perspective. This book places the study of EU energy politics in the broader, evolving context of global energy markets and explores the complex interactions between EU and national political dynamics and between energy security and environmental concerns at the local level.

The relationship between energy and security has been receiving increasing attention over the last few years. Energy literally drives the global economy. Societies rely on it for everything from advanced medical equipment to heating, cooling, and irrigation. Whether it derives from advanced nuclear reactors in developed nations or simple woodstoves in the developing world, energy is recognized as vital to human welfare. It influences our economic, political, and social policies. Possessing or not possessing sufficient energy determines a state's political and economic power. Competition for energy has been, is, and will be a source of conflict. The choices nation-states make when it comes to energy will have a profound bearing on a wide range of security concerns, from nuclear proliferation to climate change.

In terms of energy security the Black Sea region is important to Europe. Inevitably and for very good reasons, a lot of attention has been given to the existing and planned pipeline routes going around or across the Black Sea. Much less attention has been given to the development of the Black Sea energy market in its own right and to the potential advantages of coping with some current and future energy issues in a multilateral regional format rather than through individual action at national level. The present book addresses, in a comprehensive manner, the current problematic of energy security and goes beyond pipeline politics, without playing down their continued significance; it addresses some topical questions related to the sustainability and resilience of energy systems as applicable to the Black Sea region.

The Challenge of Energy Security in the 21st Century: Trends of Significance seeks to inform all those concerned about energy security, whether national, regional or international bodies, of certain factors which must be taken into consideration in developing their energy security policies and pursuing their respective objectives. Towards that end this book reveals certain significant trends of importance to the major energy-producing and energy-consuming regions. Through its unique analysis it sheds light on how such trends will affect the energy security policies of all the producers and consumers of energy, large and small, in one form or another, in the foreseeable future.

Energy supply trends are good for Western security. Dependence on the volatile Persian Gulf may increase only slightly, as additional supplies come from stable pro-Western areas, such as Norway and Latin America. Also, the cost of producing oil is dropping thanks to the information revolution. In spite of East Asia's rapid growth, world oil demand is unlikely to grow each year by more than 1.5-2.0 million barrels per day (mbd). East Asian growth is concentrated in industries that use little energy. Oil demand growth in both China and the former Soviet Union will be modest as they shut or modernize energy-wasting heavy industries. Market forces increasingly determine what happens in the energy business, except in the Caspian basin where geopolitical factors will determine whether the region's rich oil and gas resources will be brought to market. An energy security issue for the coming decade will be adjusting to the next energy trade pattern, in which East Asia and the Persian Gulf become more tightly tied-each more reliant on the other.