Understanding Greece’s new foreign policy towards the Arab world: instrumentalisation, balancing, and emerging opportunities

Grigoriadis, I. N. and Tsourapas, G. (2022) Understanding Greece’s new foreign policy towards the Arab world: instrumentalisation, balancing, and emerging opportunities. Mediterranean Politics, (doi: 10.1080/13629395.2022.2148193) (Early Online Publication)

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Abstract

Despite Greece’s centrality in Eastern Mediterranean history and politics, the evolution, characteristics, and rationale behind the country’s relations with the Arab world have yet to be identified. This article examines post-World War II Greek foreign policy towards the Arab world across four key periods (1945–80; 1981–89; 1990–2018; and 2019 onwards). It builds on a historical institutionalist approach to argue that Greece’s relationship with the Arab world has remained a pillar of the country’s diplomatic strategy, albeit instrumentalised in terms of Greece’s two main foreign policy goals in the post-World War II era: maintaining the country’s Western orientation and navigating the vicissitudes of Greek-Turkish relations. Thus, the Arab world has traditionally been approached by Greek policymakers in a profit maximization manner that sought to either amplify Greece's relationship with Western powers or respond to Turkish initiatives in the region. Aiming to provide the first systematic overview of Greek diplomatic strategy towards the Arab world, the article highlights the importance of path dependence in evaluating Greek foreign policy initiatives towards the Middle East. It also seeks to contextualize Greece's current attempts to forge a proactive role across the region by providing necessary historic nuance and a comparative perspective.

Item Type:Articles
Additional Information:Funding: Ioannis N. Grigoriadis’ research has benefitted from a European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) [ERASMUS-JMO-2022-HEI-TCH-RSCH-101084308]; Gerasimos Tsourapas’ work has been supported by;UK Research and Innovation[Grant Ref: EP/X019667/1].
Status:Early Online Publication
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Tsourapas, Professor Gerasimos
Authors: Grigoriadis, I. N., and Tsourapas, G.
College/School:College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Politics
Journal Name:Mediterranean Politics
Publisher:Taylor & Francis
ISSN:1362-9395
ISSN (Online):1743-9418
Published Online:17 November 2022
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2022 The Author(s).
First Published:First published in Mediterranean Politics 2022
Publisher Policy:Reproduced under a Creative Commons license

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Project CodeAward NoProject NamePrincipal InvestigatorFunder's NameFunder RefLead Dept
319514The International Politics of Mobility SanctionsGerasimos TsourapasEPSRC EU Guarantee (EPSRCEU)EP/X019667/1S&PS - Politics