Editorial to the special issue on ”Asian Powers in the Eastern Mediterranean”

Abstract

This special issue examines the increasing engagement of Asian countries in the Eastern Mediterranean. The region stands at the heart of many significant issues. While warming 20% faster than the global average, 1 the region has significant and largely unexploited renewable energy potential. At the crossroads of key global maritime and land trade routes connecting Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, the region is also bestowed with remarkable hydrocarbon reserves, fuelling geopolitical tension between Turkey and the Republic of Cyprus (the RoC) 2 /Greece in the absence of a delimitation regime agreed upon by all littoral states. Moreover, the region serves as a prominent irregular migration source and route to Europe. Along with the protracted Israel-Palestine conflict, ongoing regional tensions (e.g., Syria, Libya), poor governance, and environmental degradation all serve as push factors for migrants. Asian actors’ increasing political economic penetration in the region will likely trans-form the geopolitical economic landscape of the Eastern Mediterranean conundrum. Hence it is useful to set out a general framework at global and regional levels, before elaborating on the articles included in this special issue.