1st Edition
Routledge Handbook of Mediterranean Politics
The Mediterranean space, defined by a major sea, a large number of littoral countries and to some extent their hinterlands, is at the same time an interface between Europe, Africa and Asia. This brings complex challenges in terms of achieving peace and stability. Recently it has received intense international attention through the internal destructiveness and spill-over from conflicts, primarily those waged in Libya, Syria and, more remotely, Iraq.
This Handbook provides an overview of the political processes that shape the Mediterranean region in the contemporary context. It explores the issues of crucial importance to Mediterranean dynamics through a series of analytical sections that guide the reader towards a comprehensive understanding of the main regional interactions and trends.
The Handbook explores:
- the complex historical formation of the contemporary Mediterranean
- geopolitical perspectives
- issues around peace and conflict
- the political economy of the region
- the role of non-state actors and social movements
- societal and cultural trends.
The wide range of contributions from many of the leading academic experts on the region offers not only insights into the debates and processes that structure each theme, but also key pointers for a more general understanding of how distinct political, economic, social and cultural dynamics interact across the region. It will therefore be a key resource for policy-makers and students and scholars of Mediterranean politics and international relations.
1. Introduction: The growing international relevance of Mediterranean politics, Richard Gillespie and Frederic Volpi 2. The historical construction of the Mediterranean, Dominic Fenech and Michelle Pace 3. Historical/geopolitical turning points in the modern Mediterranean: Cold War, Post Cold-War and Arab Spring, Francesco Cavatorta 4. Regionalism and the Mediterranean: Long history, odd partners, Federica Bicchi 5. Securing the Mediterranean, inventing the ‘Middle East’, Pinar Bilgin 6. From imperialism to failed liberal peace: How Europe contributed to MENA’s failing states system and how MENA blowback threatens Europe, Raymond Hinnebusch 7. A new era in Euro-Mediterranean relations, Richard Youngs Section II – geopolitical perspectives 8. EU member states’ representation and positioning and the north-south divide in Euro-Mediterranean affairs, Tobias Schumacher 9. The North-South divide: Southern perceptions of the Mediterranean, Yahia Zoubir 10. US Outlook on the Mediterranean 11. Israeli regional perspectives and the Mediterranean, Daniela Huber 12. Turkish regional perspectives and the Mediterranean, Bill Park Section III – peace and conflict 13. The Mediterranean Observes the World, the World Observes the Mediterranean: Conflict and Peace in the Mediterranean, Stephen Stetter 14. Military and Politics in the Mediterranean, Aurel Croissant and Tanja Eschenauer 15. Stalled conflicts in the Mediterranean, Neophytos Loizides 16. Insurgencies, terrorism, and political violence in the Mediterranean region, Krista E. Wiegand 17. Do regional organizations contribute to security? Perspectives on Euro-Mediterranean cooperation, Niklas Bremberg 18. Regime resilience and the Arab uprisings in the southern Mediterranean: Four emerging approaches for explaining aut
Biography
Richard Gillespie is Professor of Politics at the University of Liverpool and was the founding editor of the journal Mediterranean Politics.
Frédéric Volpi is Senior Lecturer in International Politics at the School of International Relations at the University of Saint Andrews.
