The Mediterranean Conundrum: Between Economic Recovery, Migration and Radicalization
Panelists:
Amin Tarzi, Director, Center for Middle East Studies, Marine Corps University, Quantico, USA
Koert Debeuf, Project Coordinator, World Leaders on Transitions towards Democracy publication, Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance
H.E. Oded Eran (PhD), Senior Research Fellow, Institute for National Security Studies
Moderator: Louisa Slavkova, Programme & National Office Coordinator, European Council on Foreign Relations, Sofia office. Aspen Fellow 2013
Just as many parts of the NSR space, Europe's Southern neighborhood continues to be stricken with mass poverty, weak state structures and religious radicalism. This is fertile ground for sectarian strife. Syria is caught in the downward spiral of a murderous civil war with regional implication and spillovers. Countries in the Mediterranean region continue to be threatened by the spectrum of terrorism, which not only poses challenges to the statehood but to the very lives of their inhabitants. Neighboring countries in the Middle East and Mediterranean Europe continue to be flooded by refugees pouring from the conflict-ridden region. The political turmoil in the Arab world is not yet over, a vast area remains plagued by mass poverty, ISIS /ISIL –led religious radicalism and failed states. Attention should be paid to the way Iran can be drawn into reaching a comprehensive agreement with the West as regards its nuclear activities and potential trade and cooperation opportunities for both sides. Iran's reintegration on the international scene and the normalization of its relations with the Western world entails a complex set of factors. Equally interesting is the role-played by Russia in support of president Bashar al Assad.
On this most difficult background The New Silk Road initiative carries significant potential for successful economic, trade and financial, which remains unleashed to the fullest due to persisting strategic rivalries and economic interests. Energy and trade links, economic potential and proximity to Europe and Africa’s markets make the region a critical player in global economic developments.
Bucharest Forum is the public events platform of Aspen Institute Romania. Its creation was inspired by an Aspen Institutes Network of International Partners international committee gathering in 2009. Since its inception in 2012, the mission of the Bucharest Forum is to create a regional platform for forward thinking on economic and security policies and for promoting political dialogue between governments and business.
Bucharest Forum 2015 takes place between 14-16 October at critical times for the region and Europe. As the global order is changing, new economic and strategic alignments shape the context for political cooperation, economic and trade relations as well as investment. This is particularly evident in the East-West political and economic dynamic along the New Silk Road.
Political crisis in Europe is evident in the difficulty of managing the Greek debt issue, the UK referendum and the Mediterranean refugee crisis. This European malaise is heightened by domestic populists’ rifts and the challenge of the deep low in relations with Russia over the Ukraine crisis. Combined with a deep partisan rift in Washington and approaching Presidential elections in the US this has implications for the West and presents complex challenges for the Trans-Atlantic community.
