Energy regionalism; A case study of the Eastern Mediterranean

The discovery of gas reserves has had a significant impact on the economic, geopolitical and political balance in the Eastern Mediterranean. The development of fields and the motivation of government actors for possible extraction and export have led to the formation of an energy zone in the Eastern Mediterranean. Although in classical theories of regionalism, the formation of the region is tied to the geographical proximity and security motives of state actors and social, cultural and economic factors are considered as dependent and sub-elements, but in this study we try to determine the energy factor. Consider it as an independent factor in the formation of the region. This has led to new forms of the process of regionalization and the emergence of a new logic of governance in which the issues of difficult security in the formation of the region are ignored and instead the energy factor as the goal and focus of governance This has created a platform for the actions and reactions of various actors, including upstream gas companies (exploration and extraction) and national and international regulators, and the logic of regional exchanges from regional conflicts to It turns into intergovernmental competition.