Strategies for regional cooperation in the Mediterranean: rethinking the parameters of the debate

Abstract:

This account maps out the key discourses and policies that shape the response of regional political actors to the ‘new terrorism’ associated with radical Islamist groups after 9/11. It details the dominant representations of international security before and after 9/11 in relation to an elusive notion of security community in the Mediterranean. In particular it stresses the dilemmas of securitization at the regional level in a context where the state system remains the dominant frame of reference for conceiving and organizing cooperation. Finally it highlights how the discourse on the ‘new terrorism’ creates a superficial agreement between states north and south of the Mediterranean but largely fails to recognize the different security dilemmas experienced by each state and does not meaningfully capture the dynamics of national and global jihadism.

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