On Thursday, May 23, starting at 12 noon, the Institute of European Studies is organizing a
lecture
Prof. Dr. Spyridon Litsas
THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN IN THE ERA OF CORE SYSTEMIC
CHALLENGES
After the emergence of a Black Swan, i.e., the COVID-19 pandemic, and the continuation of two
major conflicts, i.e., the Russo-Ukrainian and the Gaza War, the geostrategic challenges in the
Eastern Mediterranean have been multiplied. The analysis will cover what these challenges may
be (the re-emergence of Jihadism, the strengthening of Turkish revisionism, the direct conflict
between Israel and Iran, etc.). I will argue that the qualitative deepening of the geostrategic
challenges opens a window of opportunity for the emergence of a new sub-system, the Great
Eastern Mediterranean, including South-East Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. The
analysis will also cover the big systemic picture, arguing that from a systemic point of view, the
international environment is in a transitional process from the current Multipolarity to a new
structure that can be labeled as Multilateral Bipolarity.
Prof. Dr. Spyridon Litsas is a Professor of International Relations Theory at the University of
Macedonia. He has taught International Relations as a Visiting Professor at the University of
Durham (UK), University of Grenoble (France), and Zayed Military Academy (UAE). In 2015
he was the Greek Exchanged Scholar of the US Department of State Program in US Foreign
Policy. He is the editor of Routledge’s Book Series “International Relations in the Gulf Region
and the Eastern Mediterranean”. His most recent monograph is “Smart instead of Small in
International Relations Theory: The case of the United Arab Emirates”. He holds a Ph.D from
the University of Durham (UK).
The audience can follow the lecture live, as well as via Zoom, with a prior registration at the
following link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_3POijxEWR9eI2zNUPKv8nA