The New Geopolitics of the Eastern Mediterranean: Trilateral Partnerships and Regional Security

The document examines the geopolitical motivations driving the partnership between Egypt, Greece, and Cyprus, particularly following the election of Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi in 2014. It analyzes the role of massive natural gas discoveries in the Eastern Mediterranean and the shared desire to counter Turkish influence. The author distinguishes between a rigid military alliance and a flexible 'entente,' concluding that the trilateral relationship is the latter, as it lacks binding commitments for military intervention during conflict.

• The partnership between Egypt, Greece, and Cyprus is characterized as a 'loose, flexible entente' rather than a formal military alliance. While the parties coordinate political actions and conduct joint military exercises, they lack binding commitments to support each other with military force during armed conflicts.

APA

Shama, N. (2019). The New Geopolitics of the Eastern Mediterranean: Trilateral Partnerships and Regional Security. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://files.prio.org/publication_files/cyprus/GeopoliticsEasternMediterranean/The%20New%20Geopolitics%20of%20the%20Eastern%20Mediterranean%20-%20Chapter%206%20-%20Between%20Alliance%20and..%20-%20Nael%20Shama.pdf

Chicago

Shama, Nael. The New Geopolitics of the Eastern Mediterranean: Trilateral Partnerships and Regional Security. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2019. https://files.prio.org/publication_files/cyprus/GeopoliticsEasternMediterranean/The%20New%20Geopolitics%20of%20the%20Eastern%20Mediterranean%20-%20Chapter%206%20-%20Between%20Alliance%20and..%20-%20Nael%20Shama.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Shama |first1=Nael |title=The New Geopolitics of the Eastern Mediterranean: Trilateral Partnerships and Regional Security |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=2019 |url=https://files.prio.org/publication_files/cyprus/GeopoliticsEasternMediterranean/The%20New%20Geopolitics%20of%20the%20Eastern%20Mediterranean%20-%20Chapter%206%20-%20Between%20Alliance%20and..%20-%20Nael%20Shama.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{shama2019new, author = {Shama, Nael}, title = {{The New Geopolitics of the Eastern Mediterranean: Trilateral Partnerships and Regional Security}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2019}, url = {https://files.prio.org/publication_files/cyprus/GeopoliticsEasternMediterranean/The%20New%20Geopolitics%20of%20the%20Eastern%20Mediterranean%20-%20Chapter%206%20-%20Between%20Alliance%20and..%20-%20Nael%20Shama.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }