Levant Energy and Security Initiative
The Levant region consists of a stretch of southwestern Asia that forms a natural land bridge between Asia and Africa. Three prominent components define this general area from west-to-east: the Mediterranean, the great Syro-African Rift, and the vast desert expanse to the east. Today, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Egypt, and Turkey occupy this area. The sizeable hydrocarbon discoveries and numerous pipeline projects in Eastern Mediterranean in the 2000s initially offered much-needed hope for increased cooperation and economic development to the Levant region, long afflicted with intractable conflicts, political instability, poverty, and acute environmental and climate challenges. Yet, after two decades, the jury is still out on whether these resources can be a force for regional security and prosperity. Given the changing economics and geopolitics of hydrocarbon development and the urgent need to respond to increasing climate disasters and environmental deterioration in the 21st century, it is more important than ever to evaluate how the Levant countries are managing their fossil fuel resources and dependency as they are preparing to transition to cleaner energy fuels and technologies.
We are especially interested in understanding the new clean energy strategies and dynamics that are emerging and their impact on socioeconomic development and security in this volatile region. In this context, we are delighted to launch an initiative entitled “Where the Sun Rises: Crossroads of Energy Transition & Security in the Levant Region” to broaden out the environmental pillar of the Abrahamic Programs and cross-pollinate with our budding Levant Initiative at the University of Connecticut. Our goals for this initiative are two-fold: first, to explore the best pathways and practices through which to produce policy-based research and work with influential policy actors, e.g., think-tanks focusing on similar research interests in the Levant region; and second, to workshop scholarly arguments that may form the basis of an edited book on energy transition and security in the Levant region. As the first event of this initiative, we held a virtual planning meeting on April 3 at 8-10 AM EST featuring notable scholars and practitioners based in the Levant region as well as in Europe and the US. The agenda and write-up of our first Levant Energy Security event can be accessed below.
The Levant Initiative at the University of Connecticut is funded in part by the Levant Foundation.
2023.04.03 Levant Energy Security Planning Meeting Agenda
2023.04.03 Levant Energy Security Planning Meeting Write-Up
