Italy and Security in the Mediterranean

Abstract:

The Mediterranean is a highly interconnected geopolitical space in which instability, conflict and insecurity have increased dramatically in the last few years. Today, Mediterranean security is even more central to the national interests of Italy, and therefore requires a continuous, systematic and in-depth reflection by the country’s government and public opinion. The book aims to contribute to this reflection by addressing the issue with a comprehensive and pragmatic approach.

The first chapter analyses the “arc of crisis” in the Arab world, linking current instability and conflicts to the socio-economic, religious, political and geopolitical dynamics. The second chapter focuses on the Mediterranean Sea – from the Italian perspective – in terms of commercial exchanges between riparian states, maritime traffic, and the maritime economy. The third chapter focuses on the energy-producing North African countries, the Mediterranean offshore fields and European energy policies in this region (with a view not only to energy security). The fourth chapter analyses the positions of NATO and its major member states with respect to Mediterranean security, with a specific focus on the Alliance’s maritime strategy. The fifth chapter discusses the recent EU Maritime Security Strategy vs the Mediterranean. Finally, the sixth chapter looks at the “Euro-Mediterranean region” from the Italian perspective, a region that is the priority area for use of the military, including its naval component, as evidenced by the series of naval operations conducted in recent years to respond to the migration crisis.