Patricia K. McCormick
Climate change is deepening water scarcity across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), threatening livelihoods, governance, and stability. This paper examines how drought, migration, and riparian basin conflicts interact with neoliberal agricultural and trade practices to intensify regional inequalities. It argues that the combined effects of heat, drought, and unsustainable water use have transformed scarcity into a catalyst for social unrest and displacement. The study concludes that only through regional cooperation, early-warning drought systems, and sustainable resource management can MENA states build resilience against cascading climate risks.
Patricia K. McCormick views the telecommunication and space sectors as integrated within a broader economic and political context at both the national and international levels. She is a member of the International Institute of Space Law (IISL) and presently serves as an Associate Professor at Wayne State University.
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Derek Lutterbeck
This article examines migration flows across the Mediterranean since the end of WW II, using the concepts of ‘barrier’ and ‘bridge’. Its main argument is that, overall, the Mediterranean has turned from being a migration bridge during the first decades after the end of WW II to being a migration barrier from the mid-1970s onwards, as large-scale recruitment of migrant workers from south to north has given way to increasingly strict migration policies adopted by European countries. However, most recent developments suggest a more complex picture where bridges and barriers coexist. While growing restrictions have been placed on some forms of trans-Mediterranean migration, mainly irregular migration and refugee flows, there has in recent years also been a notable opening of channels for legal migration from south to north.
Derek Lutterbeck is Deputy Director and Professor at the Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies at the University of Malta. His current research focuses mainly on migration and security issues in the Mediterranean region.
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Burak Şakir Şeker
This paper examines the Mediterranean’s transformation into a contested security space linking MENA and Europe. It argues that maritime security is shaped by the convergence of hard power rivalry, energy and infrastructure competition, cyber and environmental threats, and humanitarian crises. Through cases from naval militarization and energy corridors to migration governance and climate stress, the study contends that stability depends on shared resilience rather than unilateral control.
Burak Şakir Şeker is an Associate Professor at Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University, a retired Navy Lieutenant, and an industrial engineer. He previously served in the Turkish Naval Forces and the Turkish Armed Forces Headquarters in various roles, including operation officer, project officer, and commander. His academic focus spans global maritime geopolitics, the Middle East and Africa, the cyber environment and international politics, space security, global actors and great power competition, comparative politics and political regimes, and refugee and international issues.
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Ingy Higazy
This article examines patterns of real estate and urban development on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast, interrogating the imaginaries of urban living, leisure, and Mediterranean space they produce. It analyzes how real estate projects demarcate property, mobility, and belonging in the Mediterranean amid Egypt’s debt crises and the refugee reception crisis. Drawing on longer spatial and racial histories of defining the Mediterranean, the article investigates ‘the Real Mediterranean’ as a spatial representation that encloses luxury spaces while recasting multiple existing Mediterraneans.
Ingy Higazy is the Research Manager at “Pathways Beyond Neoliberalism: Voices from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA),” based at the American University in Cairo (AUC). She holds a PhD in Politics from the University of California, Santa Cruz.
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Amine Ghoulidi and Rida Lyammouri
Amine Ghoulidi and Rida Lyammouri
The Western Mediterranean’s exposure to the Sahel is usually framed in terms of security spillovers and crisis management. This paper argues that this framing misreads how Sahelian access conditions now shape Mediterranean integration. Morocco’s Atlantic Initiative is a state-led corridor strategy combining Atlantic port infrastructure, inland transit routes, and energy systems to connect landlocked Sahelian economies to maritime access through Moroccan territory. Examining this initiative, the paper shows how Sahelian access conditions now shape routing decisions, risk pricing, and gateway hierarchies inside the Western Mediterranean itself. The Atlantic Initiative functions not as a development scheme or a basin institution, but as a corridor architecture designed to reduce the structural penalty of landlockedness and convert hinterland access into Mediterranean-relevant trade and energy flows. Its credibility rests on three elements: a scale-setting Atlantic gateway anchored at Dakhla, transit governance through Mauritania as a non-bypassable hinge, and demonstrable Sahel-side demand for diversified external access. Where these elements align, corridor reliability alters planning horizons and competitive dynamics well before trade volumes visibly rebase. The paper concludes that Mediterranean integration is increasingly produced through corridors that originate beyond the basin and re-enter it through gateway states.
Rida Lyammouri is a senior fellow at the Policy Center for the New South (PCNS). He is also a senior West Africa and Lake Chad Basin researcher and advisor, with expertise in regional conflicts,
violent extremism, climate change, migration, and trafficking. His research activities focus on
geopolitics and international relations in the West African Sahel and Lake Chad Basin, regions he
has worked on for 14 years, including in the field.
Amine Ghoulidi is the Convenor of the MENA Research Group at King’s College London, where
he is completing a PhD in geopolitics and security. Previously, Mr Ghoulidi worked in the political
risk practice of a global consulting firm and advised leading international organizations on illicit
transnational networks.
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Amel Boubekeur
This article examines Euro-Mediterranean relations beyond the narrative of failed convergence. It argues that asymmetry has been stabilised into hierarchy through routine governance mechanisms. Drawing on observations of Euro-Mediterranean consultation arenas (2023–2025), it analyses administrative credibility, mobility governance, and energy cooperation as forms of stratified governance. The 2025 Pact for the Mediterranean is interpreted as a crystallisation of this long-term configuration rather than a policy rupture.
Amel Boubekeur is a sociologist and political scientist. She is Professor at Aix-Marseille University and Senior Fellow at the Arab Reform Initiative. Her research focuses on EuroMediterranean governance, political economy, mobility, and state–society relations in North Africa
and Europe.
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Jan Claudius Völkel and Benjamin Zyla
Germany’s image as a “civilian power” has come under pressure since the democratic peace model has started to lose its global attraction. This includes the MENA region where liberal approaches have been sidelined by an authoritarian conflict management and a return to great powerrivalry. This article discusses Germany’s security policy approaches and explores its (new) role in a changing world order in the MENA region. Its traditional self-understanding might lead it into a strategic offside.
Jan Claudius Völkel is DAAD seconded professor in German Studies and International Relations
at the University of Ottawa. His main research interests are Democratization in the MENA region
and Euro-Mediterranean relations.
Benjamin Zyla is full professor and teaches peace and conflict studies at the University of Ottawa
where he also directs the “Peacebuilding and Local Knowledge Network” (PLKN) and the “Fragile States Research Network” (FSRN) (co-director).
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Megan Elizabeth Gisclon
US President Donald Trump’s second term in office has been a watershed moment for the European security order and Germany’s and Turkey’s place in it. As the Trump administration has made clear that Europe needs to step up its own defences, European powers, most notably Germany, have turned to Turkey to enhance strategic cooperation. This article will highlight the current trajectory of cooperation between Ankara and Berlin as they work to reframe the European security order.
Megan Elizabeth Gisclon is the Managing Editor and Researcher at Istanbul Policy Center. Her research focuses on transatlantic security, international order, US-Turkey relations, and Turkish civil-military relations
Gawdat Bahgat
The Middle East is Europe’s backyard. Economic prosperity and political stability and security in Europe are, to a great extent, shaped by developments in the Middle East. This essay examines Germany’s policy toward the Middle East, particularly the wars in Gaza and Lebanon and Iran’s nuclear program as well as the growing economic and cultural ties with the Gulf Cooperation Council states. The analysis highlights the areas of cooperation and competition with other global powers and provides recommendation on promoting mutual understanding between Germany and the broad Middle East..
Gawdat Bahgat is a distinguished professor at the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies, National Defense University. He is the author of 11 books and more than 200 scholarly articles. His areas of expertise include the Middle East, political economy, energy transition, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and American foreign policy.
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Raluca Moldovan
This paper examines the evolution of German security policy through the lens of migration, with a specific focus on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Since the 2015 refugee crisis, migration has become both a security concern and a strategic priority for German policymakers. The analysis applies a blended theoretical framework combining securitization theory, realism, and human security to assess how migration has reshaped border control, counter-radicalization efforts, integration policies, and foreign relations. It argues that Germany’s approach reflects a dynamic and sometimes contradictory balancing act between humanitarian commitments and strategic interests. The paper explores how domestic and external policies are increasingly entangled, highlighting the trade-offs and normative tensions that define Germany’s migration-security nexus. The conclusion calls for a recalibration of German policy to better align security objectives with democratic values and human rights.
Raluca Moldovan is Associate Professor in the Department of International Relations and German Studies of Babeș-Bolyai University Cluj Napoca, where she has been teaching since 2004 at graduate and undergraduate levels. She is a PhD in history with a thesis on the representation of the Holocaust on film. Her more recent research interests include immigration studies, mass media and the contemporary Middle East. She has published numerous scholarly articles on topics ranging from history to mass culture in many Romanian and international journals and collective volumes. She is a member of the European and Romanian Associations of American Studies and the Association for the Study of Nationalities (Columbia University, New York).
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Esra Ağralı
Germany has blended its civilian identity with normative power to lead the EU’s climate response, positioning itself as a driver in addressing the global climate crisis. MENA is central due to energy-related security risks and migration pressure. Germany’s policies show the securitization of climate change within its foreign policy identity. This study examines Germany’s climate security diplomacy in MENA since 2020, highlighting both rhetoric and practice.
Esra Ağralı is currently Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Istanbul Medipol University, Türkiye, Received Ph.D degree in EU Politics and International Relations. Focus areas are the EU’s foreign, security and defence policies.
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Medicine is at a crossroad in both the Arab world and on a global scale. At the heart of this transformation: women. Their bodies, their silence, their courage. This article is a plea for medicine that listens, understands, and empowers – beyond statistics, rooted in human stories. The world is aging. And with age, new challenges inevitably arise: more chronic illnesses, more frailty, and more cancer. Medical advances have prolonged life – but not always improved it. In many countries, healthcare costs are skyrocketing, systems are overstretched, and patients– especially women – are left behind.
Jalid Sehouli, Charité Berlin, Department of Gynecology with Center for Oncological Surgery,
Women Clinical Global Health.
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Laila Mrabti and Zouhair Belamfedel Alaoui
This article explores the limitations of health system responses to intimate partner violence in Morocco, placing them in comparative perspective with Tunisia, Egypt, and Jordan. Based on a documentary comparative analysis of institutional reports, public policies, and academic
literature, the study argues that institutional inertia, lack of gender-sensitive budgeting, and fragmented care pathways undermine survivors’ access to support. It calls for structural reforms grounded in feminist and intersectional approaches to health governance in the MENA region.
Laila Mrabti
Laila Mrabti holds a PhD in sociology from Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez. She teaches at the Higher Institute of Nursing Professions and Health Techniques and specialises in
social work and violence against women. She formerly has served as a social worker and head of the Integrated Care Units for Women and Children Victims of Violence under the Moroccan
Ministry of Health from 2007 to 2012.
Zouhair Belamfedel Alaoui
Zouhair Belamfedel Alaoui is Professor of Sociology at Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez. His research focuses on education, gender, and public policy. He co-founded the university’s first MA in social work and has published in both Arabic and English.
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Yousef Khader, Mohannad Al Nsour, Ruba Al-Sour and Haitham Bashier
The Eastern Mediterranean Public Health Network (EMPHNET) plays a pivotal role in strengthening the public health workforce in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR). The region faces numerous public health challenges, including epidemics, political instability, and weak health systems. EMPHNET addresses these gaps through capacity-building programs, Field Epidemiology Training Programs (FETPs), tailored curricula, e-learning solutions, and sustainability initiatives. This article outlines EMPHNET's comprehensive strategies and in-terventions emphasizing its contribution to regional and global health security.
Yousef Khader
Dr. Yousef Khader is a Professor of Public Health at Jordan University of Science and Technology. His research focuses on epidemiology, health systems strengthening, and non-communicable diseases.
Mohannad Al Nsour
Dr. Mohannad Al Nsour is the Executive Director of the Eastern Mediterranean Public Health Network (EMPHNET). He has extensive experience in field epidemiology, health policy, and
emergency preparedness across the Eastern Mediterranean Region.
Ruba Souri
Ms. Ruba Souri is a Senior Public Health Specialist at EMPHNET. Her work focuses on workforce capacity, research, and field epidemiology.
Haitham Bashir
Dr. Haitham Bashir is a Senior Technical Advisor at EMPHNET. He specializes in infectious disease surveillance, outbreak investigation, and field epidemiology capacity building in fragile
and conflict-affected settings.
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Eyob Zere Asbu, Zainab Nader Khazaal, Bashir Aden, Tamir Abdelmutalib and
Saeed Abdullah bin Ishaq
This study examines the health and health system profiles of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries from 2000 to 2020 (or the latest available data), using time-series data from the World Health Organization, World Bank, and United Nations Development Program. Key indicators
analysed include socioeconomic trends, health expenditures, and health outcomes. Descriptive data analysis was conducted in Microsoft Excel.The findings reveal significant progress in reducing child and maternal mortality across the region. However, persistent challenges include the rising burden of non-communicable diseases, particularly diabetes, mental health conditions, and high levels of PM2.5 air pollution. These issues signal an urgent need for targeted public health interventions. The study calls for comprehensive, context-specific strategies to address chronic disease risk factors through health education, lifestyle interventions, and improved healthcare access. In light of declining fertility rates and shifting demographic trends, it also emphasizes the importance of proactive, evidence-informed reproductive health and family planning policies. These insights provide critical guidance for policymakers aiming to strengthen health system performance and improve population health outcomes across the GCC.
Dr. Eyob Zere Asbu is currently a Senior Health Economist at the WHO in Geneva, Switzerland.
Dr. Zainab Nader Khazaal is a Senior Consultant in Public Policy based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Dr. Bashir Aden is an Epidemiologist at Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta, GA, USA.
Dr. Tamir Abdelmutalib is a Senior Specialist, Medical Practices Ethics at the Department of Health, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Dr. Saeed Abdullah bin Ishaq is a Senior Public Health Consultant based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
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