Following last year’s celebrations marking the centenary of disciplinary IR, the BISA Postgraduate and Early Career Research Annual Conference on 15-16 April 2020 returns to Aberystwyth in search of important lesser-seen trends in global politics—and the obscured aspects of more prominent topics. On behalf of BISA South East Europe Working Group, we will submit the panel of ‘Between Power Struggle and Energy Securitization: The Eastern Mediterranean’ to this conference.
The developments in the exploration, production and export of oil and natural gas in the Levant region since the 2000s pose significant opportunities and threats to the region's energy geopolitics. On the one hand, natural gas discoveries and intensive licensing activities developed in parallel with these, on the other hand, LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) and pipeline projects occupy the countries’ agenda in the region today. The share of energy sources between the Eastern Mediterranean coastal countries; Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, Egypt, Israel and other powers like US, Russia or EU has been discussed again with these developments. This situation complicates the relations between the countries and increases the tension in the region. This panel aims to evaluate the fixed and changing dimensions of the conflict and cooperation in the hydrocarbon geopolitics of the region historically within the framework of concepts such as power policies and balance of powers in international relations. At the same time, it will be explored with the articles in this panel how Copenhagen School’s securitization approach has affected the foreign policy of the countries in the region on these issues.
This CfP welcomes abstracts for papers on above-mentioned issues in the Eastern Mediterranean. Please email the abstract (200 words max.) and CV to Dr.Çağlar Ezikoğlu, [log in to unmask] by 13 December 2019. Selected applicants for the panel submission will be notified by 16 December 2019.