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“Major disputes, like those surrounding territory and access to natural resources in the Eastern Mediterranean, often require innovative solutions to achieve peace and unlock potential. In Maritime Boundaries by the Book, Roudi Baroudi has presented us with just that: a balanced, innovative, and positive message that can provide progress for a series of apparently insoluble problems. Using international law, highly detailed geo-data, and compelling economic logic, Baroudi makes a powerful case for compromise so that the states of the region can move beyond their costly disputes and reap the rewards of cooperation. Dr. Baroudi’s approach has much to teach us and will hopefully contribute to peaceful progress, if only the opposing sides will listen.”
—Andrew Novo, Associate Professor of Strategic Studies at the National Defense University. He is an expert on Mediterranean history and politics.
“... An expert commentary and seminal work ... Using precise satellite imagery produced by the maritime boundary software used by the UN and by international courts and tribunals, Baroudi makes the following contention: when followed with a by-the-book approach, inclusive of all associated actors, and gaining precedent from successfully-resolved maritime issues, UNCLOS can be an effective tool in reaching legal certainty and mutual agreement of boundary conflicts in the Eastern Mediterranean”.
—Ambassador John B. Craig, former Special Assistant to President George W. Bush for Combatting Terrorism, and former United States Ambassador to Oman (appeared in The Hill, 2020)
“The energy resources of the Eastern Mediterranean can markedly improve the economies and lives of the people of the region. Or they can provoke more conflict in a part of the world where geopolitical tensions and war have been the norm. In this thoughtful and well-argued book, Roudi Baroudi provides a framework, based on the United Nations Law of the Sea Treaty, guiding us down a path to an equitable and peaceful resolution of the maritime boundary issues that impede development of these resources. The countries of the region, as well as the United States and the European Union, should embrace Baroudi’s approach to reduce frictions and realize the benefits of this energy bounty”
—Douglas Hengel, Professional Lecturer in the Energy, Resources and Environment Program Johns Hopkins University, SAIS and Senior Fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. He is also a retired State Department Diplomatic official.
Maritime Disputes in the Eastern Mediterranean:
The Way Forward
Roudi Baroudi
Transatlantic Leadership Network
Washington, DC
Roudi Baroudi, Maritime Disputes in the Eastern Mediterranean: The Way Forward
Washington, DC: Transatlantic Leadership Network, 2020
©2020 Transatlantic Leadership Network
Transatlantic Leadership Network
1800 M St. NW #33161
Washington, D.C. 20036-5828
Distributed by the Brookings Institution Press
ISBN 978-0-9600127-9-4 (electronic)
Cover Design: PiDesign
Cover Photo: www.shutterstock.com/g/StockStudio
Dedicated to Joyce, Soraya, and Nour
Preface
We live in a time where multiple transitions affect societies across the globe. Be it technological advances that shift employment models, growing inequality, geopolitical uncertainties, trade disputes enhanced by globalization, or growing awareness to the perils of climate change, the world is changing at an ever-increasing pace. Global free trade has fueled growth, lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, especially in the world’s poorer countries. Unfortunately, it has also led to unintended consequences of widespread business dislocation and the attendant massive loss of jobs in many advanced economies. This in turn has undermined not only living standards but public confidence in many of the institutions, policies, and practices that have been the hallmarks of prevailing economic orthodoxy.
The 2008–2009 global financial crisis exacerbated the symptoms of mounting economic distress while reducing the ability of many countries to help their populations cope. Shifting demographics have made the situation even more complicated, leaving too few people of working age to fund the healthcare and pension benefits owed to increasingly numerous retirees. The EU absorption of the several former Soviet Union and Western Balkan countries has brought criticism that too many resources are being expended to get their economies up to the EU standards. The free movement of people has also received criticism for bringing in too many migrants.
The ongoing war in Syria has led to an additional burden, first and foremost to Turkey, which hosts millions of refugees. Millions more were absorbed by the European Union but after several terror attacks in Europe, many countries are experiencing a resurgence of populism and anti-migration movements, the rise of which threatens to further erode social cohesion.
Much of the post-WWII rules-based international system is also under sustained pressure. Some of the very countries that once championed the effectiveness of this system to bring peace, stability, self-governance, and growth now look at it with skepticism. The postwar model includes a long list of mechanisms and institutions designed to prevent, manage, and resolve crises, disputes, and other obstacles to international peace and security. That model is crucial to successful navigation of the current situation; it is incumbent on responsible voices to keep it functional.
This book constitutes a welcome contribution to the maintenance, reform, and expansion of the current international system. It does so by shedding needed light on preventing bilateral and multilateral confrontations from slowing down the safe and responsible exploration and development of oil and gas resources beneath the Mediterranean Sea, particularly its eastern region. The benefits derived from these discoveries can be immense: competitive energy prices for consumers in Europe, East Africa, and South Asia; revenues from the processing and export of hydrocarbons; tens of thousands of high-paying jobs; decisive debt and deficit reduction; enhanced energy security; and the opportunity to make unprecedented investments in education, healthcare, and transportation that will fuel future growth.
The revenues made possible by these resources promise to transform the economies of several regional states; Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, and Israel. However, as the author convincingly argues, the most important Mediterranean gas boom incentive could hail a new period of geopolitical and geostrategic calm in the region, which will prompt governments to make peace with one another, and will attract more foreign investment. The very first step is to reach agreement on maritime boundaries among the Mediterranean coastal states, or at least a mutually acceptable compromise.
The ways and means described in this book constitute a roadmap for responsible members of the international community to work together, reduce tensions, resolve differences over maritime boundaries peacefully, and reap the rewards of a safer, more
