Greece’s New Geopolitical Environment
The geopolitical landscape of Greece has changed considerably in the past few years given not only the various geographical challenges but the emergence of a number of ‘functional’ ones as well. According to the author, Greece’s geopolitical landscape is now much wider as a result of Greece’s continued Europeanisation and the effect of globalisation. These include questions of equity and reform, concerns over terrorism and ‘homeland defence’ as well as the need for multilateral responses to global challenges. Although the verdict is still out as to whether Greece can adapt to its changing environment, the author speculates on some ‘wild cards’ that could affect the country’s geopolitical scene profoundly.
Energy hubs and geopolitics: investigation on a Greek natural gas hub for the EU energy strategy
................................................................................................................................... 3 PREFACE ....................................................................................................................................... 4 I.INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................... 6 II.BRIEF INTRODUCTION ON GREECE .................................................................................... 7 III.EVOLUTION OF NATURAL GAS SECTOR AT EUROPEAN LEVEL – EUROPEAN ENERGY SECURITY STRATEGY .................................................................................................................. 9 IV.THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN GAS PIPELINE ........................................................... 13 V.THE GREEK ENERGY GAS PROFILE ................................................................................... 16 VI.THE NATIONAL NATURAL GAS SYSTEM (NNGS) ......................................................... 18 VII.GREECE AS AN ENERGY HUB .......................................................................................... 20 A) BENEFITS FOR THE EUROPEAN UNION .............................................................. 22 B) BENEFITS FOR GREECE .......................................................................................... 22 C) BENEFITS FOR CYPRUS .......................................................................................... 24 D) BENEFITS FOR ISRAEL ............................................................................................ 25 VIII.CHALLENGES TO BE ADDRESSED .................................................................................. 26 IX.GEOPOLITIC GAMBLING – GEOSTRATEGIC DECISIONS .............................................. 27 X.CONCLUSIONS ..................................................................................................................... 34 BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................................... 36
Greece’s Strategic Doctrine: In Search of Autonomy and Deterrence
Strategic doctrine is viewed, in this chapter, as a state’s ‘theory’ about how it can best ‘produce’ security for itself.1 Strategic doctrine may be conceptualised as a means-end relationship, in which military means are connected to political objectives.2 Ideally it should include an explanation of why the theory is expected to work in practice. Actual events test the validity of the state’s national security ‘theory’ and serve to show whether the ‘theory’ helps the state achieve its political goals.