La sicurezza nel Mediterraneo: un'utopia?

Abstract

The Mediterranean Region forms an area which comprehends a great number of States and each of them owns different social, political, economic and demographic characteristics. Since the Mediterranean basin is particularly complicated, its security is considered a hot spot in the field of International Relation. First of all it is necessary to pay attention to the most important historical events which happened throughout the centuries and contributed or not to provide stability and security to the region; analyzing the course of the history it is easy to understand that the Mediterranean Region has always experienced the changes which occurred all around the world. Security is an essential issue and this is the reason why both the European Union and NATO have shown their interest in promoting initiatives and measures with the aim to make the area across the Mediterranean Sea safer and more stable. The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, the Union for the Mediterranean and the NATO Mediterranean Dialogue are only some examples of the initiatives that emerged with the goal to increase the stability and the prosperity of the Mediterranean area; all these measured intended to start a stronger economic, political and social dialogue between the Northern and the Southern shore of the basin. It is necessary to stress that even if a great number of different programs were arranged this region continues to remain very unstable and insecure; this is principally due to the fact that there are too many challenges that threaten the security of all those states which are situated along the two shores of the Mediterranean Sea. The proliferation of weapon of mass destruction, organized crime, terrorism, the going on Arab Israeli conflict are some issues which contribute to increase the level of instability. Moreover, the internal difficulties, such as high rates of unemployment, the lack of democracy and civil wars, that the North Africa and Middle East countries have deal with are considered an enormous threat not only to the European security but also to the global one. In addition to the dramatic conflicts there is another sticky problem for the security in the basin: the migration flows. These flows, which every day sail the Mediterranean water with the hope to reach the European coast, state the presence of an urgent problem, which must be taken seriously into account in order to build a real peaceful, secure and stable area across the countries in the Mediterranean Region.