Bahrooz Jaafar / Ph.D. in International Relations from Cyprus International University, Nicosia. He is the founder and head of the Mediterranean Institute for Regional Studies.
The Eastern Mediterranean basin, encompassing Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Israel, the Palestinian territories, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and Turkey, has emerged since the late 2000s as a focal point of energy competition, ideological struggles, historical conflicts, and rising regional ambitions. This region forms part of a broader geopolitical landscape where the interests of the United States, the European Union, Russia, and China intersect. Increasingly, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Gulf are merging into a single geopolitical sphere, becoming arenas for both regional competition and the influence of global powers, especially as the United States seeks to curtail the spread of Chinese dominance. Simultaneously, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza have crucial consequences for the global and regional order.
