Gas Discoveries and the New Energy Geopolitics in the Eastern Mediterranean: Strategic Interdependence between Israel and Egypt
Abstract
The discovery of vast natural-gas reserves across the Eastern Mediterranean has redefined regional geopolitics, transforming energy resources into instruments of diplomacy, security cooperation, and economic leverage. This article examines how gas discoveries -particularly Israel’s Leviathan and Tamar fields and Egypt’s Zohr field- have reshaped bilateral relations between the two states and influenced the broader Mediterranean order. Using a framework that integrates Complex Interdependence with insights from energy geopolitics and regional order formation, the article argues that Israel and Egypt have evolved from an uneasy “cold peace” to a pragmatic partnership underpinned by asymmetric but mutually beneficial energy cooperation. Gas exports, infrastructure sharing, and participation in the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum (EMGF) have transformed both countries into pivotal nodes linking European demand with Middle-Eastern production. Yet this interdependence also embeds them within a wider web of strategic competition involving the United States, Russia, China, and the European Union. This study concludes that energy cooperation has become a central mechanism of strategic pragmatism, simultaneously promoting stability and generating new dependencies that will shape the future architecture of the Eastern Mediterranean.
Keywords
Israel, Egypt, Energy Geopolitics, Complex Interdependence, Strategic Pragmatism
Ethical Statement
This study did not involve human participants, experimental methods, or personal data collection.
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