Mediterranean

The geopolitical and security complexities of land borders in the Middle East have created a strategic reality in which Israel effectively functions as an "island economy", despite its physical connection to the continental landmass. This overland isolation has left the Israeli economy with little choice but to rely almost entirely on maritime routes to sustain its trade arteries, secure vital imports and maintain the flow of exports. The sea, therefore, is no longer merely an additional geopolitical and military domain, but has become the lung through which the Israeli economy breathes.   In this context, geography has shifted from a potential defensive shield to a structural vulnerability, with any disruption to freedom of navigation or coastal security posing an existential threat to capital flows and market stability.   This strategic vulnerability is further compounded by the country's demographic and economic geography. The coastal strip constitutes Israel's true centre of gravity, concentrating much of its population, financial centres, logistics infrastructure and principal ports.   This concentration leaves the coastline particularly exposed. Any security disruption in the maritime domain would affect not only shipping, but also the very fabric of everyday life and the core of commercial activity. Non-state armed actors have recognised this dynamic and identified the maritime domain as an opportunity to inflict economic paralysis at extremely low cost, circumventing the need to penetrate Israel's sophisticated air and land defence systems.   The concept of maritime infrastructure is no longer confined to ships and ports, but has expanded to encompass sovereign assets that constitute pillars of contemporary national security. Natural gas fields beneath the Eastern Mediterranean have become a cornerstone of energy independence, with any threat to production platforms or pipelines having immediate repercussions for industrial production costs and electricity grid stability.   In parallel, subsea telecommunications cables have emerged as a lifeline for the digital knowledge economy. The high-tech and financial services sectors depend entirely on these cables' integrity to ensure the global flow of data. Protecting these subsea assets has therefore moved beyond the technical realm to become a core element of the security doctrine aimed at protecting the economy from collapse in times of crisis.   This maritime exposure confronts the military establishment with a dual strategic dilemma: a widening protection gap between the immediate coastline and distant international sea lanes.   At the near-shore tactical level, the challenges associated with protecting coastal installations from unconventional threats, such as explosive-laden boats and drones, are intensifying. Countering these threats entails enormous financial costs, requiring the operation of expensive interception systems and warships against low-cost offensive capabilities available to adversaries.   At the more distant strategic level, the challenge lies in protecting the vital trade routes running through the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Any disruption there could choke off the Port of Eilat, disrupt supply chains from Asia, and drive up insurance and shipping costs, dealing a severe blow to investor confidence and the broader business environment.

Several indicators point out to the rise of far-right wing within the European bloc including polls for the upcoming European elections and the migration deal which was passed by the French parliament last December. Far right sentiments are reflected on many issues especially Migration which holds second place in the list of most pressing issues for European voters. The New European Migration Pact, which exempts Ukrainians from the new measures, reflects European leanings towards the right adding more restrictions on Migrants, refugees and Asylum seekers especially those arriving from the Middle East and Africa. The far-right leanings do not only hold significance for the European Union (EU) but they will definitely impact neighboring countries especially countries of North Africa who act as a transit for refugees and asylum seekers aiming at reaching European shores. Migrants, refugees and asylum seekers will face catastrophic humanitarian situation due the Pact’s measures such as the screening procedure which will lead to diminished safeguards and a risk of mass detention at the borders, including for children, in countries of first arrival, the Crisis and Force Majeure Regulation which regulates what happens if there is a “crisis” at the EU’s external border. European countries themselves will be put in an unenviable position due to transit countries’ levering their geopolitical positions. Using a multi-faceted criterion, the paper argues that the new pact is just a “rebranding” of ongoing European migration policies which are found to be unsuccessful. The paper uses the EU-Turkey migration deal showcasing shortcomings of European migration policies. Findings suggest that, among other losses, far-right measures taken by EU states tend to embolden transit countries vis-a-vis European states who will lose on the political as well as the economic side. Politically, they will have to make concessions in face of transit states while economically they will have to pay huge amounts of aid for the sake of borders’ externalization and keeping migrants away.