Greater Mediterranean Regional Security Complex: Myth or Reality?

Abstract

The study of regional dimensions, including the role of individual regions in the international system, plays a significant role in understanding the formation of a new multipolar world order. Undoubtedly, one of the most important regions is the Great Mediterranean, which is considered to be the cradle of civilization. Located at the crossroads of Asia, Africa and Europe, it has a special status in global economic and political events. The author first defines the concept of the Greater Mediterranean, analyzing it in the short, medium and long term and, accordingly, in a narrow regional, wide regional and global scale. Then the analysis is carried out from the point of view of the regional security complex theory. The purpose of the study is to identify the territory covered by the Greater Mediterranean, as well as the type of regional security complex that it is part of. Since there is no clear, unified definition among Russian and foreign scholars about the geographical boundaries of this region and what it represents, the theoretical justification allows the author not only to determine the limits of the region, but also to give its characteristics, which in turn conditions the relevance of the research. In summary, it is concluded that the Greater Mediterranean constitutes a global-level security complex as it includes states, such as Russia, France, and Great Britain, which have a significant influence in world politics, as well as Turkey, Italy, Israel, and Iran with considerable powerful capabilities that extend beyond their neighbors.