E A S T E R N M E D

The West, represented by the USA, NATO, and the EU (Rimland), is locked in a battle with the East, comprising Russia and China (Heartland), vying for dominance and the control of the global economy, geoeconomic networks, energy resources, including oil and natural gas pipelines and global trade routes. [...] What is Nakba or “catastrophe” for the Arabs, referring to the mass displacement and dispossession of Palestinians in the 1948 war, is a miraculous return to the “promised land” for the Israelis, pertaining to the creation of an independent Jewish state. [...] The power struggle and the consequent instability in the international relations system has deep implications for the East Med Energy Corridor and the ambitions of Turkey to control energy routes in the region. [...] Saudi Arabia is unlikely to stay out of the great energy game and the proposed IMEC geoeconomic and geostrategic corridor for long, given the traditionally enduring influence of the USA and the perspective of pursuing a two- state solution in the Israeli-Palestinian question. [...] Conclusion: Synergizing Geopolitics and Geoeconomics in Unlocking the Cyprus Energy Strategy In conclusion, the dynamic interplay between geopolitics and geoeconomics in the context of recent global events, wars and regional energy ambitions have set the stage for Cyprus to accelerate the development of its gas resources and shape its energy future.