Recent events in Libya close the loop of links between energy, stability and security in the MENA region, analyzed by using the events between the end of 1919 and the beginning of 2020, looking for “usable knowledge” for the next future in the Mediterranean.

The publication of the File leaked from the archives of the Iranian secret services in November 2019, provided a key to understanding the ties between Iran, Turkey and neighboring countries, from the exploitation of energy resources to the political and military strategies for its control, going through US policies in the Middle East and North Africa.

The security architecture of the Mediterranean and the Mediterranean – Persian Gulf and Mediterranean – Red Sea corridors could be reconfigured, with the new regional role which Iran, Turkey and Qatar aspire to, considering the related interlinks.

The disruption of the postcolonial balances, that governed the geopolitical balances in the Mediterranean in the last century, has opened a transition phase towards new balances, sometimes tumultuous because of upcoming hegemonic ambitions inspired by a mix of strategic energy related, economic, political, cultural, ethnic and even religious factors.

The situation in Middle East and the analysis of the relationship between “Energy and geopolitics in the Mediterranean” already carried in 20171, makes dialogue and cooperation between government institutions, civil society and international financial institutions crucial, for a common future of development, stability and security for all the Countries of the Mediterranean, southern and northern coast.

The EMGF – Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum – represents a reference tool for the Mediterranean dialogue and cooperation, even with some unavoidable negative reactions to the project of integration of the Mediterranean social, economic and productive.

Further steps will be needed to develop the EMGF approach, like a Mediterranean energy exchange platform (MedEx)2, proposed by TEN, and a Mediterranean Investment Bank (MIB), enhancing the experience of the EBRD, in this phase of Mediterranean reconstruction, with the contribution of the main International Financial Institutions, like the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD), the World Bank and the IEB.

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1 [1] “Energy and geopolitics in the Mediterranean” – Transforming resources and interdependencies in development strategies – Giampaolo Cantini, Michelangelo Celozzi, July 2017.
2 Technical Proposal of TEN – Trans Med Engineering Network.