Daniel Markind
For generations, the area around the eastern Mediterranean Sea has been filled with turmoil. From the Arab-Israeli conflict to the divided island of Cyprus and the general animus between Greece and Turkey, the region’s problems have seemed intractable.
Over the last decade however, discovery of massive natural gas deposits underneath the eastern Mediterranean Sea are reorienting the entire region. The rush to obtain energy independence and security by discovering and laying claim to gas and oil reserves is immensely important to the countries in the region, forcing them to reconsider historical relationships and presenting new possibilities which previously seemed unthinkable. At the same time however, countries like Turkey which refuse to think anew may find themselves left behind. Events are moving at tremendous speed, with much of the region has changed in just the last three months.
For generations, the area around the eastern Mediterranean Sea has been filled with turmoil. From the Arab-Israeli conflict to the divided island of Cyprus and the general animus between Greece and Turkey, the region’s problems have seemed intractable.
Over the last decade however, discovery of massive natural gas deposits underneath the eastern Mediterranean Sea are reorienting the entire region. The rush to obtain energy independence and security by discovering and laying claim to gas and oil reserves is immensely important to the countries in the region, forcing them to reconsider historical relationships and presenting new possibilities which previously seemed unthinkable. At the same time however, countries like Turkey which refuse to think anew may find themselves left behind. Events are moving at tremendous speed, with much of the region has changed in just the last three months.
