Natural Gas in the Eastern Mediterranean: Means of Regional Integration or Disintegration?

The recent discoveries of hydrocarbonresources in the Eastern Mediterranean not only opens a great deal ofopportunity for closer regional cooperation by providing channels of communication but also holds much potentialto complicate further the region’s conflict-prone geopolitical architecture.However, the latest developments have proved that realism is the only game inthe town and guides the regional countries in their nationally controversialissues, i.e. energy, maritime borders, exclusive economic zones. The EasternMediterranean countries have, so far, preferred forming their policies inaccordance with the zero-sum-game principles at the expense of the achievementswith their near or far neighbors. Therefore, the competing interests, rivalclaims and distrust among the regional countries would highly be expected tojeopardize the potentially conciliatory role of natural gas as opposed to therole of coal and steel in triggering European integration in the 1950s.Keywords: EasternMediterranean, natural gas, energy security, European Union, Russia