Type
ELECTIVE

Department Abbreviation
IES

Department
DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL AND EUROPEAN STUDIES

Course Outlines

This course is structured around two main axes: a) a theoretical analysis of the relationship between Area Studies and International Relations that will conclude with the presentation of a Regional Systems Theory and b) the application of this theory in various case-studies. The course aims at introducing students to the core concepts associated with a Regional/Area Studies approach in IR. In this perspective, we will first cover distinct analytical frameworks (Regional Security Complex Theory, Regional Systems, Regional Orders) that are being applied on the study of international phenomena at the regional level. In what follows, a special focus will be placed upon the Regional Systems Theory, which will be employed as the theoretical tool for the study of regions during the lectures. The second part of the course is oriented towards the study of specific regional systems (Middle East and North Africa, South Asia, East Asia and South America among others), as well as of inter-regional security dynamics, pivotal powers and external penetration. The course will conclude with a comparative analysis of different Regional Systems. 

Type
ELECTIVE

Department Abbreviation
IES

Department
DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL AND EUROPEAN STUDIES

Course Outlines

The course focuses on the presentation of the comparative method in political analysis, providing students with both a theoretical foundation and practical familiarity with its application. It systematically examines the pluralistic parliamentary political systems of the Western world, with particular emphasis on the intricate connections between politics and society, society and government, and government and politics. At the same time, the course delves into the study of political systems that diverge from the classical Western model, offering a broader perspective on governance structures worldwide. By the end of the course, students will have developed the ability, first, to identify and analyze the fundamental characteristics of the political systems of Western countries, and second, to critically contrast these elements with those found in the so-called new democracies or the diverse forms of authoritarian regimes.

Type
ELECTIVE

Department Abbreviation
IES

Department
DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL AND EUROPEAN STUDIES

Course Outlines

The course Energy and the Middle East aims at a critical analysis of the energy dimension of international relations, with a specific focus on the Middle East. The course structure is built around the study of the relationship between Energy and International Politics, emphasizing case studies from the broader Middle East region. During the initial lectures, the theoretical concepts and tools necessary for examining and understanding the subject matter will be introduced. Following a thorough presentation of the global energy map and the new dynamics related to technology, production, transportation, consumption, and energy market management, the course will shift its focus to specific issues concerning the Middle Eastern subsystem. The core part of the lectures will emphasize the existing energy regimes of Middle Eastern powers, the interconnection between energy and security, energy networks, and the role of extra-regional powers that intervene in the Middle East subsystem to gain greater influence over energy developments. The reciprocal relationship between the security architecture of the Middle Eastern region and the energy landscape will also be analysed. Finally, the course will include a discussion on the issue of energy transition and its implications for the regional balance of power.

Type
ELECTIVE

Department Abbreviation
IES

Department
DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL AND EUROPEAN STUDIES

Course Outlines

Η περιγραφή του μαθήματος δεν είναι διαθέσιμη

Type
ELECTIVE

Department Abbreviation
IES

Department
DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL AND EUROPEAN STUDIES

Course Outlines

The main objective of the course is to introduce students to the international relations of the Middle East. Initially, the analytical tools for describing the region's international relations will be identified through the lens of IR theory. After outlining the formation process of the Middle East state system and examining the historical background of current security dynamics, the lectures will focus on the structural characteristics and actions of the so-called regional powers. The fluidity of the Middle East's strategic environment is highlighted and analyzed, as it influences the course of confrontations, the shaping of alliances, and the extent of external global powers' penetration into the regional system. Beyond the actions of the most powerful actors, the course will also analyze the role of state actors belonging to the lower tiers of the power hierarchy, as well as non-state entities, which assume an enhanced role when political order collapses and power vacuums emerge. Special emphasis will be placed on the rising influence of radical Islamist organizations in the region, as well as the policies adopted by key state actors in response. Setting the outbreak of the Arab Uprisings as a chronological benchmark, the lecture series will conclude with the presentation and analysis of the most significant conflicts of recent years, which shape the new political morphology of the region.

Περιλαμβάνει Βιβλία ή/και μονογραφίες σε διεθνείς ή ελληνικούς εκδοτικούς οίκους. Κεφάλαια ή άρθρα συλλογικών τόμων ή επιμέλεια τόμων σε διεθνείς ή ελληνικούς εκδοτικούς οίκους.

2024

• Sectarian Dynamics and Failed States: The Weaponization of Sectarian Identities as a Driver of Instability in Yemen and Syria, in State Failure and Fragility, Causes, Cases, Discussions, doi: 10.26650/B/SSc21.2024.025

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2020

• The Regional Sectarian War and Syria”, in Raymond Hinnebusch, Adham Saouli (eds), The War for Syria, Regional and International Dimensions of the Syrian Uprising, Routledge, St Andrews Syrian Studies Series

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2018

• “Assessing the Regional Influence and Relations of Turkey and Saudi Arabia in the New Middle East”, in Hüseyin Işıksal & Oğuzhan Göksel (eds), Turkey’s Relations with the Middle East: Political Encounters after the Arab Spring, Springer

2016

• “On Revolution and Revolutionary Situations: The Cases of Syria and Egypt during the Arab Uprisings” in Imad H. El-Anis and Natasha Underhill (eds), Regional Integration and National Disintegration in the Post-Arab Spring Middle East, Cambridge Scholars Publishing

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2015

• “The prospects of GCC-Turkey cooperation and the Syria crisis”, in Özden Zeynep Oktav, Helin Sarı Ertem (eds), GCC-Turkey Relations: Dawn of a New Era, Gulf Research Centre Publications

Περιλαμβάνει Άρθρα σε διεθνή ή ελληνικά επιστημονικά περιοδικά (με κριτές).

2024

• Détente Dynamics: A Neoclassical Realist Perspective on EU Foreign Policy in the MENA Region, Journal of World Sociopolitical Studies, doi: 10.22059/wsps.2024.373610.1420

2021

• Qatar, the UAE and Kuwait as Small States: Evaluating their Role in Regional Organizations and the Prospects for a Small State Security Cooperation Framework, International Journal of Politics and Security, Volume 3, Issue 2, 1 - 23

2019

• Cairo and Riyadh: Vying for Leadership (with Ilias Kouskouvelis), Middle East Quarterly, Vol 26, N. 2, Spring 2019

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2014

• Blurring the Borders of Conflict: ISIS between Syria and Iraq, Tel Aviv Notes, Volume 8, Number 5

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Περιλαμβάνει Άρθρα σε δημοσιευμένα πρακτικά διεθνών ή ελληνικών συνεδρίων (με κριτές).

2024

• “Sectarian Dynamics and Failed States: The Weaponization of Sectarian Identities as a Driver of Instability in Yemen and Syria”, Failed State: Boundaries, Current Cases, Practical Issues, 6-7 October 2023, Istanbul University, Faculty of Political Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey.

2012

• “The Arab Uprisings and their implications for the Middle Eastern regional subsystem: The case of Iran”, BRISMES 2012 Conference Papers, Center for Security Studies, ETH Zurich

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Περιλαμβάνει Παρουσιάσεις σε διεθνή ή ελληνικά συνέδρια χωρίς δημοσίευση σε πρακτικά.

2024

• Strategic Considerations and Supporting Narratives: East-Med Connectivity and Greece's Alignment with Arab Powers”, 11th European Workshops in International Studies, The Future Yet to Come: For a Global Politics of Hope, 3-5 July 2024 Istanbul, Turkey
• Evaluating Saudi Arabia's and UAE's Leadership in Green Energy Connectivity Across the Mediterranean: Exploring Prospects and Navigating Complexities, Gulf Research Meeting, 9-11 July 2024, Cambridge, UK

2023

• “Green prospects in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. How could the emerging energy landscape halt the Gulf’s strategic distancing from the West?”, BRISMES 2023 Conference "Ecology, Crisis, and Power in the Middle East”, 3-5 July 2023 Exeter, UK

2022

• 2022.“Emerging Security Dilemmas in the Post- Arab Uprisings Middle Eastern Regional System”, Conference, Virtual presentation, INTPOLSEC Annual International Security Congress, 5-6 September 2022, Malatya, Turkiye
• “Regional De-escalation in the MENA and the EU: Dealing with the Challenges of an Ever-changing Security Environment”, EU SECURITY WATCH SPOT, "Immediate & Wider European Security Considerations",

2019

• “The Small Gulf States' Role in Middle Eastern Summitry. A Comparative Study of Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE”, Conference, A Century of Show and Tell: The Seen and the Unseen of IR, 13th PEC, EISA, Sophia, Bulgaria.

2018

• «Στρατηγική συνεργασία Αιγύπτου-Σαουδικής Αραβίας και οι συσχετισμοί ισχύος στην Ανατολική Μεσόγειο», Συνέδριο της Έδρας Στρατηγικών Σπουδών «Θουκυδίδης» σε συνεργασία με την Ανώτατη Διακλαδική Σχολή Πολέμου (ΑΔΙΣΠΟ), Ζητήματα στρατηγικής και ασφάλειας στα Βαλκάνια και στην Ανατολική Μεσόγειο
• “Small but Increasingly Ambitious: The UAE assertive policies in a changing security environment”, Workshop, Small Powers’ Security and Strategy in Times of Change, University of Macedonia
• “Seeking Security in a Volatile Environment: The US-Greece Strategic Convergence in the Eastern Mediterranean”, Greek American Relations: Evolving Regional Challenges and Opportunities, Thessaloniki Concert Hall

2017

• «Ο Συριακός εμφύλιος πόλεμος και οι επιπτώσεις του στη διαμόρφωση των διαδράσεων ασφάλειας της Ανατολικής Μεσογείου», Συνέδριο της Έδρας Στρατηγικών Σπουδών Θουκυδίδης, σε συνεργασία με την Ανώτατη Διακλαδική Σχολή Πολέμου (ΑΔΙΣΠΟ), Ο κόσμος σε αναδιάταξη και η Ανατολική Μεσόγειος, (The World in Turmoil and the Eastern Mediterranean)

2014

• “On Revolution and Revolutionary Situation: the cases of Syria and Egypt during the Arab Uprisings”, Nottingham Trent University, “MENA Conference: Regional Integration vs National Disintegration in the Post-Arab Spring Middle East and North Africa”
• Τhe Syrian Civil War and the Palestinians: Perceptions and Divergences”, BRISMES Annual Conference, “The Middle East in Global Perspective: Interactions Across Time and Space”, University of Brighton

2013

• The prospects of GCC-Turkey cooperation and the Syria crisis”, Gulf Research Center, GRM “The GCC States-Turkey Relations: Opportunities and Challenges”, Workshop, University of Cambridge
• “Reapolitik and Sectarianism: Regional Dimensions of the Syrian Conflict” Centre for Syrian Studies Conference: "The Syrian Uprising: Drivers and Dynamics”, St Andrews University

2011

• “Political unrest in the Middle East and its implications for Israel-Iran relations: Towards a new regional security architecture?”,Middle East Congress, Kocaeli University