Παρουσίαση/Προβολή

(DES412) -  ΦΩΤΕΙΝΗ ΑΣΔΕΡΑΚΗ, ΕΛΕΥΘΕΡΙΑ ΜΑΡΚΟΖΑΝΗ

Περιγραφή Μαθήματος

Description

The Eastern Mediterranean has become a focal point for European foreign policy. The region is marked by geopolitical tensions over energy, security, and migration. The EU’s foreign policy in this competitive and fragmented area has encountered both challenges and opportunities. In an era of intense multilateralism, shifting alliances, and regional tensions, stability in the EU’s Eastern Mediterranean neighbourhood is more crucial than ever. The EU’s external initiatives have promoted regional and bilateral cooperation, addressing key security concerns at the same time. Seeking to reinforce its position as a global actor, the European Union acts as both initiator and mediator within this complex regional environment, shaped by geopolitical competition over energy resources, migration pressures, and long-standing political disputes. Within this context, the EU’s strategy pursues two main objectives: to redefine and strengthen its political role and influence in the region by increasing its resources and capacity (energy, financial, and military), and to expand its soft and normative power tools, based on EU fundamental values, law, and diplomacy, developed over recent decades.

Aim of the Course
This course aims to clarify the role of the EU within this critical geopolitical landscape by examining the EU’s objectives and initiatives within bilateral and multilateral policy frameworks, as well as its relations with key actors. The course will explore how the EU’s foreign policy is shaped and decided, and how the EU seeks to balance diplomacy, cooperation, security, energy interests, migration control, and regional stability in the area. By examining past and current policy developments, the course will explain the interplay between the EU’s institutional frameworks and the political realities of overlapping interests. Students will gain a better understanding of the EU’s partnerships with its neighbouring countries and how regional cooperation is built on specific political, socio-economic, and security priorities. Assessing the various policy frameworks relating to the Eastmed region, the course adopts an interdisciplinary approach that brings together European studies, international relations, security studies, and international law.

Learning outcomes

After the completion of the course the students will: 

 

• Understand the fundamentals of European foreign policy, such as its institutional structure, tools, and strategic objectives.
• Analyse the geopolitical dynamics of the Eastern Mediterranean, such as energy and security challenges, migration flows, and maritime disputes.
• Examine the role of the European Union as a global actor in multilateral and bilateral frameworks, in crisis management, diplomacy, and regional cooperation.
• Assess regional cooperation initiatives among key Eastern Mediterranean actors and their effectiveness in stability and economic integration of the region
• Ameliorate critical analytical skills through case studies and policy analysis
• Boost language and intercultural skills through teaching by a multinational team
• Improve writing and analytical skills within different writing and assessment frameworks

Teaching methods: 

• Ηybrid (residential and online) teaching
• Lectures and presentations
• Use of video and multimedia tools
• Active learning approach:  participation of students

Assessment

Written Assessment of a Policy Brief of 2500 words at the end of the course. 

 

Structure of the Course

1. The EU as a Global Actor in the Eastern Mediterranean: challenges and limitations. Policy Brief Guidelines

Suggested bibliography:

Litsas, S., and Aristotle Tziampiris (2019). The new Eastern Mediterranean. New York: Springer, 2019.

Katrin Bastian (2021). The EU in the Eastern Mediterranean—a “Geopolitical” Actor?, Orbis, Volume 65, Issue 3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orbis.2021.06.010 

Jan Zielonka (2011). 'The EU as an International Actor: Unique or Ordinary?, 16, European Foreign Affairs Review, Issue 3, 281-301, https://kluwerlawonline.com/journalarticle/European+Foreign+Affairs+Review/16.3/EERR2011021

Tereszkiewicz, F. (2020). The European Union as a normal international actor: an analysis of the EU Global Strategy. Int Polit 57, 95–114. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41311-019-00182-y

Grigoriadis, Ioannis N. (2023) The European Union in the Eastern Mediterranean in 2020: Whither Strategic Autonomy." J. Common Mkt. Stud. e1 61.

 

2. New Geopolitical Challenges in Eastern Mediterranean: Big Powers’ competition amid regional crises

Suggested bibliography:

Litsas, S. N. (2020). The US Facing the Challenges of the Twenty-First Century in the Eastern Mediterranean: The Different Cases of China, Russia, and Turkey. In US Foreign Policy in the Eastern Mediterranean: Power Politics and Ideology Under the Sun (pp. 181-212). Cham: Springer International Publishing.

Colombo, S., & Soler i Lecha, E. (2021). Europe and the ‘New’ Middle East: Geopolitical shifts and strategic choices. Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, 23(3), 403–422. https://doi.org/10.1080/19448953.2021.1888246 

Shlykov, P., & Koldunova, E. (2023). Russia and China in the Eastern Mediterranean: On Parallel Tracks?. Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, 25(1), 48-64.

Proedrou, F. (2023). A geopolitical account of the Eastern Mediterranean conundrum: sovereignty, balance of power and energy security considerations. Cambridge Review of International Affairs, 36(5), 679-696.

Tziarras, Z. (2021). International competition and cooperation in the new Eastern Mediterranean. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of International Studies.

Kontos, M., & Georgiou, E. (2023). US foreign and security policy in contemporary Eastern Mediterranean: the return of great power politics in a changing regional environment. International Politics, 60(5), 1014-1029.

 

3. The European Multilateral Frameworks and  bilateral relations: The European Neighbourhood Policy, the Union for the Mediterranean and the Pact for the Mediterranean 

Suggested bibliography:

Asderaki, Foteini. "The EU in the Eastern Mediterranean: multilateral and bilateral relations." The New Eastern Mediterranean Transformed: Emerging Issues and New Actors. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2021. 31-67.

Ikani, N. (2019). Change and continuity in the European neighbourhood policy: The Ukraine crisis as a critical juncture. Geopolitics, 24(1), 20-50.

Cardwell, Paul James (2011). EuroMed, European Neighbourhood Policy and the Union for the Mediterranean: Overlapping Policy Frames in the EU's Governance of the Mediterranean*. JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, 49: 219-241. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-5965.2010.02119.x

Lannon, E. (2024). The European Political Community in the EU's wider neighbourhood: A new element of the differentiated pan Euro‐Mediterranean integration framework. European Law Journal, 30(4), 595-613.

 

4. Comparative Regionalism in the East Med: the EU Partnership with the Arab World (Arab League, African Union)

Suggested bibliography:

Börzel, T. A. (2016). Theorizing regionalism. The Oxford handbook of comparative regionalism, 41-63.

Del Sarto, R. A., & Soler i Lecha, E. (2024). Regionalism and Alliances in the Middle East, 2011-2021: From a “Flash in the Pan” of Regional Cooperation to Liquid Alliances. Geopolitics, 29(4), 1447–1473. https://doi.org/10.1080/14650045.2023.2268542

Schumacher, T. (2018). The EU, Middle Eastern powers and milieu-shaping in the ‘shared’Arab Mediterranean neighbourhood: A story of mutual neglect. Contemporary Politics, 24(1), 46-64.

Fawcett, L., & Gandois, H. (2010). Regionalism in Africa and the Middle East: Implications for EU studies. European Integration, 32(6), 617-636.

 

5. EEAS and its role in European diplomacy. EU agencies activities in the region

Suggested bibliography:

Maurer, H., & Morgenstern-Pomorski, J. H. (2018). The quest for throughput legitimacy: the EEAS, EU delegations and the contested structures of European diplomacy. Global Affairs, 4(2–3), 305–316. https://doi.org/10.1080/23340460.2018.1535252

Jørgensen, K.E. (2015). EU Diplomacy in Global Governance: The Role of the European External Action Service. In: Koops, J.A., Macaj, G. (eds) The European Union as a Diplomatic Actor. The European Union in International Affairs Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London.

Veuthey, Alexandre (2023). The European Union External Action: Toward a Joined-up Approach (Doctoral dissertation, PhD Dissertation, University of Geneva, https://archive-ouverte. unige. ch.

 

6. Strategic Frameworks: Greece-Israel-Cyprus-Egypt. The role of Turkey.

Suggested bibliography:

Erol, E. (2024). The decline of Turkey as a subimperialist power: political economy of the Turkish foreign policy under AKP rule. Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, 26(6), 920-935.

Tziarras, Z. (2019). Cyprus’s foreign policy in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Trilateral Partnerships: A neoclassical realist approach. The new geopolitics of the Eastern Mediterranean: Trilateral partnerships and regional security, 53-72.

 

7. Energy Cooperation and Security in the Eastern Mediterranean: Challenges and Opportunities for the European Union

Suggested bibliography:

Badarin, Emile, and Tobias Schumacher. "The eastern Mediterranean energy bonanza: A piece in the regional and global geopolitical puzzle, and the role of the European Union." Comparative Southeast European Studies 70.3 (2022): 414-438.

 

8. Water Security and EU’s Green Diplomacy

Suggested bibliography:

Álvarez Arcá, I. (2024). EU water diplomacy: A tool to strengthen the EU's soft power on environmental governance. Global Policy, 15, 7-14.

 

9. Perceptions, experiences, and citizens’ expectations of the EU in EastMed

Suggested bibliography:

Goren, Nimrod and Ronen, Eyal and Bayburt, Emir, Israel, the EU, and the Mediterranean: Understanding the Perceptions of Israeli Elite Actors (2019). The Remaking of the Euro-Mediterranean Vision, ISBN 978-3-0343-3817-2, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3363022

 

10. AI and FIMI (Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference) and their implications for peace and democracy

Suggested bibliography:

Abdel-Sadek, A. (2024). Digital Cooperation in the Mediterranean: Opportunities, Challenges and the Future. IEMed: Mediterranean yearbook,(2024), 260-263.

Bleyer-Simon, K. (2025). Addressing foreign information manipulation in the context of European regulations. https://cadmus.eui.eu/entities/publication/51114305-faa9-4ae5-84d8-e7f27cd062c2 

Feldstein, S., Nalwoga, L., Sombatpoonsiri, J., Ong, J. C., Jackson, D., Belli, L., ... & Basu, A. (2025). Digital democracy in a divided global landscape.

https://assets.production.carnegie.fusionary.io/static/files/Feldstein_DDN_final-2026.pdf  

 

11. EU initiatives towards the empowerment of Youth and Women in EastMed

Suggested bibliography:

Neaime, S., & Gaysset, I.(2025). EMPOWERING MEDITERRANEAN YOUTH FOR KNOWLEDGE-DRIVEN GROWTH: UNLOCKING THE POTENTIAL OF THE EUROMED PARTNERSHIP TO ACHIEVE THE SDGs.

https://www.femise.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Paper-FEMISE-18.pdf 

Badre, A. (2021). Youth Civil Society Actors in Euro-Med.

 

12. Uniting Cultures, University and Scientific Cooperation

Suggested bibliography:

Genovese, R. A. (2016). Cultural Routes between East and West: a network for cooperation between Mediterranean cities. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 223, 619-625.

Jora, L. (2016). Considerations Regarding Cross-border Cultural and Academic Cooperation Programs between EU and the South and Eastern Mediterranean Countries–The Case of Cultural and Academic Exchanges. Eurolimes, (21), 129-140.

Rošteková, M. H., & Masár, D. (2023). Regional cooperation in higher education and research in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries. Terra Economicus, 21(4), 135-148.

Ghribi, M. (2023). The role of science diplomacy in strengthening cooperation between the two shores of the Mediterranean. In Science Diplomacy: foundations and practice (pp. 69-97). EUT Edizioni Università di Trieste.

 

13: Recap and Policy Briefs Presentations

 

 

Ημερομηνία δημιουργίας

Παρασκευή 27 Φεβρουαρίου 2026