The Mediterranean Eye aims at providing a fresh look at and a forum of debate on Mediterranean and global affairs, the latter seen through a “Mediterranean” perspective. The conceptual structure of the blog is based on a specific “geopolitical perception” of the world, divided in three geopolitical concentric circles.
The first circle is the Mediterranean and its sub-regional systems: the Maghreb, the Mashreq, Turkey, South-Western Europe and the Balkans. Clearly, as I was born in Naples, this city represents the “point of departure” of this “intellectual journey”. Therefore, my views on Mediterranean and global affairs own a huge debt to the intellectual inputs coming from this amazing but complex urban reality.
The second circle is made of all those regions whose dynamics lively interact with and are influenced by the Mediterranean, such as the Sahel, the Arab Peninsula, Iran, Central Asia, the Caucasus, the rest of Europe and the North-Atlantic area.
The third and last circle is represented by the rest of the world. This blog will be mainly devoted to the analysis of the first two circles but from time to time I will try to analyze also more general global developments from a “Mediterranean perspective”.
MedEye Posts will be rather different: my takes on the developments in these three circles, my articles and reports, web links to relevant articles and papers by other people, lists of academic opportunities and many others. This blog is a day-by-day work in progress, therefore it still lacks a clear and well-defined organizational structure. However, at the moment, the blog will be organized through 6 categories of posts:
News roundup
Focusing on one country, one issue or one actor (a political personality, a regional bloc, an international organisation etc. etc.), these posts will address specifically some of the most relevant issues concerning the object of analysis, providing mainly links to relevant newspapers and web resources, as well as to books and reports on the topic.
MedEye VIP Digest
Hereby, VIP stands for “Very Important Politicians”. These posts will provide brief biographies of the main political players in some countries.
MedEye Risk Digest
Posts aimed at providing brief analyses of the major political and economic risks faced by either a country or a region.
Bar Italia
Bar is the name of cafè in Italy. As noted by the Economist, the Italian Cafès are “a cornerstone of contemporary Italian civilisation”. In a way, Italian cafès represent for the Italians what the Agorà represented for the Greeks: a place for chats, discussions and socialization. These posts will be either in English or Italian, discussing current developments in Italian domestic politics as well as foreign policy.
Sguardi su Napoli (Perspectives on Naples)
These posts will be only in Italian (or Neapolitan, from time to time….). They will analyze political developments in Naples, explaining strategies, rivalries and interests of local political actors. The aim is to provide, hopefully, aseptic accounts of Neapolitan political realities, far from the “partisan hysteria” typical of many political debates in and on Naples.
The Academic Eye
These posts will list academic opportunities for MA and PhD students as well as for academics and professionals in the field of International Relations and Mediterranean Studies.
I took the picture in the header of the blog in June 2008. It is a view of Ischia, a wonderful isle in the gulf of Naples, from the bay of San Francesco.
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