A broad range of viewpoints

The programming and published products of the Atlantic Council provide a platform for a broad range of viewpoints on how to create regional stability and integration, as well as boost economic development in the Eastern Mediterranean region. Multiple Atlantic Council programs, including the Atlantic Council in Turkey, the Global Energy Center, the Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative, and the Europe Center are engaged in navigating theses complex tensions and challenges.

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Report

Feb 16, 2022

Energy and geopolitics in the Eastern Mediterranean

By Charles Ellinas

Fossil fuel development in the Eastern Mediterranean is both laden with promise and fraught with tension. Member states of the East Mediterranean Gas Forum (EMGF) have established joint ventures for exploration and drilling, pipeline building, and LNG export across the region, creating an international web of proposed infrastructure to tap its abundant reserves. But Turkey […]

Energy & Environment Energy Markets & Governance

events

all content

EnergySource

Dec 31, 2020

Rapid response: The Southern Gas Corridor opens today

By Richard L. Morningstar, Matthew Bryza, Neil Robert Brown, Brenda Shaffer

Today marks a historic milestone for energy diplomacy and international cooperation. The Southern Gas Corridor pipeline system opened today. This natural gas megaproject brings Caspian gas to Europe for the first time, linking seven countries, starting in Azerbaijan and ending in Italy.

Energy & Environment Europe & Eurasia

MENASource

Oct 28, 2020

For Turkey, the Libyan conflict and the eastern Mediterranean are inextricably linked

By Ahmed Helal

The proxy confrontation playing out in Libya has intensified a regional competition for resources in the waters of the eastern Mediterranean, where several overlapping claims for maritime jurisdiction by Turkey, Egypt, Greece, and Cyprus have fueled escalating tensions.

Europe & Eurasia Libya
Mediterranean

Report

Oct 7, 2020

Value beyond price: Prioritizing political stability and regional integration when financing Mediterranean gas

By Olgu Okumuş

A comprehensive overview of the tensions surrounding natural gas resources in the Eastern Mediterranean which argues that development projects must take into account geopolitical rivalries as a reality in determining how to leverage East Med gas by mobilizing the power of multilateral dialogue platforms and international development banks.

Europe & Eurasia European Union

Issue Brief

Sep 29, 2020

The impact of COVID-19 on either shore of the Mediterranean

By Karim Mezran, Emily Burchfield, Paolo Alli, Emadeddin Badi, Haykel Ben Mahfoudh, Alessia Melcangi

This report draws on case studies of Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, and migration to the EU to illuminate the key challenges faced in the Mediterranean community, and warns of the undesirable outcomes ahead if international inaction toward the region persists.

Coronavirus North Africa

TURKEYSource

Sep 23, 2020

Now let’s see an agreement in the Eastern Mediterranean

By Brenda Shaffer

The Trump administration has demonstrated its ability to bring allies together and promote regional peace and cooperation. The United States should keep up this momentum by helping to reach an agreement between Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus, and de-escalate the conflict in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

Conflict Europe & Eurasia

TURKEYSource

Sep 23, 2020

Solving the Eastern Mediterranean crisis requires compromise

By Matthew Bryza

France, Greece, and the entire EU should embrace this de-escalatory approach, recognizing that the entire transatlantic community will be strategically better off with a strong Greece-Turkey relationship that ensures a fair system for sharing Eastern Mediterranean energy resources.

Geopolitics & Energy Security Greece

TURKEYSource

Sep 17, 2020

Eastern Mediterranean tensions require diplomacy, not conflict

By Mitat Çelikpala

Despite the continued challenges and dangerous rhetoric, the only viable path remains through dialogue and compromise. For Turkey, this means openness to dialogue to address the issues at hand and expanding its diplomatic front to build support for its interests.

Conflict Crisis Management

MENASource

Mar 30, 2020

The coronavirus crisis highlights the unique challenges of North African countries

By Karim Mezran, Alessia Melcangi, Emily Burchfield, and Zineb Riboua

It is important to monitor the evolution of the coronavirus pandemic, its effects on each North Africa system, and the debate between government elites and masses to better understand the situation in these countries and the long-term implications of the health crisis.

Coronavirus Libya

MENASource

Oct 29, 2019

NATO countries should help Egypt mitigate security challenge near Libyan border

By Amal Kandeel

Egypt is facing multiple security challenges for which a military solution is deficient. A complex interplay between internal and external challenges, as well as human and security challenges, is evident in western Egypt and within the area bordering Libya. The mix of harsh climatic conditions, inhospitable terrain, and lagging economic development, on one hand, and […]

Libya Middle East

Report

Oct 8, 2019

The MENA region: A great power competition

By Karim Mezran and Arturo Varvelli

The idea of a ‘Russian resurgence’ in the Middle East set against a perceived American withdrawal has captured the attention of policymakers and scholars alike, warranting further examination.

Middle East Politics & Diplomacy

learn about the centers

The Atlantic Council in Turkey, which is in charge of the Turkey program, aims to promote and strengthen transatlantic engagement with the region by providing a high-level forum and pursuing programming to address the most important issues on energy, economics, security, and defense.

The Global Energy Center develops and promotes pragmatic and nonpartisan policy solutions designed to advance global energy security, enhance economic opportunity, and accelerate pathways to net-zero emissions.

Content

TURKEYSource

Jan 20, 2022

Turkey’s muted response to Cyprus’ offshore drilling reflects a new diplomatic reality

By Serhat S. Cubukcuoglu

Turkey's response, or lack thereof, to Cyprus' recent moves to capitalize on natural gas resources in the Eastern Mediterranean marks a shift in diplomatic tone. While Turkey's stance has not changed, under the surface lies a changing geopolitical and economic reality.

Geopolitics & Energy Security Greece

MENASource

Jan 14, 2022

Where is the United States? Military basing and energy are the real prizes in Libya.

By Matthew Zais

It wasn’t a surprise to many that Libya’s long-awaited elections were postponed. As the elections approached, fundamental rules over presidential powers, who was allowed to be a candidate, and election enforcement mechanisms remained unclear.

Elections Libya

TURKEYSource

Nov 17, 2021

Why Turkey’s transatlantic identity could change forever

By Can Kasapoglu and Sine Ozkarasahin

Tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean and disagreements over defense policy with the United States are pushing transatlantic ties with Turkey to the brink with potentially seismic changes to Turkey's strategic orientation and identity and major implications for the NATO alliance.

Conflict Defense Technologies

Report

Oct 26, 2021

North Africa 2030: What the future holds for the region

By Frederick Kempe, Giampiero Massolo, Yahia Zoubir, Abdelkader Abderrahmane, Pietro Gagliardi, Guillaume Biganzoli, Aldo Liga, Nader Kabbani, Nejla Ben Mimoune, Hannah Abdullah, Karim Elgendy, Shlomo Roiter Jesner, Jay Mens, Armando Sanguini, Karim Mezran, and Alissa Pavia

In the last decade, several events redefined North Africa’s heterogeneous character and identity. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the beginning of the Arab spring, but most of the root causes fueling the unrest remain unaddressed.

Middle East North Africa

MENASource

Oct 6, 2021

Why Israeli gas and Syrian sanctions relief may turn on Lebanon’s lights

By Matthew Zais

Before the United States and World Bank throw a lifeline to either Bashar al-Assad or Lebanon, they should demand concessions that reduce Iranian and Russian influence in the region.

Lebanon Middle East

MENASource

Jun 1, 2021

Egypt recalibrated its strategy in Libya because of Turkey

By Alessia Melcangi

It is evident that the strategic pivots of Egyptian leadership in Libya are adapting and evolving in concordance with developments on the ground and keeping in mind wider regional implications—particularly its relations with Turkey.

Libya Middle East

TURKEYSource

Apr 29, 2021

Turkey and the new Libyan government: continuity, change, and new opportunities

By Karim Mezran and Dario Cristiani

The new Libyan leadership’s early moves on the international stage demonstrate its openness to engaging with all actors. Interim Prime Minister Abdel Hamid Dbeibeh's government's closest and most important international partner is Turkey, which, driven by strategic interests has continued to support the internationally recognized Libya government.

Conflict Libya

MENASource

Apr 16, 2021

Italy found its way back into Libya

By Karim Mezran, Alissa Pavia

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s visit to Libya is a big step for renewing Italy’s role in Libya and the wider Mediterranean, one that should not be overlooked.

Libya Middle East

MENASource

Apr 6, 2021

The Abraham Accords hold the key to Biden’s East Med policy

By Matthew Zais

While motivated by the potential for a new Iran nuclear deal under the Biden administration, the Abraham Accords represent an unprecedented regional unification that was inconceivable just a few years ago. But it also represents an opportunity to continue America’s positive international energy diplomacy, and leadership in the East Med would be an ideal place to pick up the baton.

Middle East North Africa

TURKEYSource

Mar 5, 2021

To manage tensions between Turkey and Greece, the US should look to history

By Grady Wilson

Tensions between Turkey and Greece flared over the past year over disputed maritime claims in the Eastern Mediterranean. The United States should mediate between the two NATO allies to protect its interests based on its long term commitment to a stable and secure region.

Greece International Norms