Conflicts and Global Powers in the Eastern Mediterranean. An Introduction

Conflicts in the Eastern Mediterranean have a long history, and recently supposed energy reserves have fuelled confrontations. Many studies are available that mainly analyse the strategies of the littoral states of the Mediterranean. This special issue enlarges the perspective by also including the global powers the EU, the United States, Russia, and China in the analysis. The role of the regional power Turkey is also in focus here. Importantly, Russia’s war against Ukraine must be taken into account. Since the Russian president has been using gas as a weapon and trying to put pressure on Europe in particular, the relevance of the energy reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean must be reassessed. After the end of the Cold War, the actors on the global political level promised a rule-based world order. This promise has been severely challenged, however, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine which makes it necessary to reassess the relations between the global powers and the Mediterranean countries.