Tensions and Cooperation in Realizing Maritime Security in the Mediterranean Sea: The Examples of Maritime Terrorism and Irregular Migration

Abstract

Abstract Maritime security is of vital importance to all coastal States in the Mediterranean. Whereas States in the region continue to understand maritime security differently, this article will show that there is a strong security interconnectedness in the Mediterranean Sea. Threats and criminality in one country often spill over across the Mediterranean affecting all other coastal States. Accordingly, this article will emphasise the importance of interstate cooperation in achieving maritime security in the Mediterranean. In doing so, it will focus on two ongoing threats – maritime terrorism and irregular migration – that originate from only a handful of littoral States but have been affecting maritime security across the Mediterranean. The discussion will show that in spite of the common threats, the unique landscape and jurisdictional framework in the Mediterranean have caused tensions between the coastal States, hindering the interstate cooperation required to achieve maritime security in the region.