Resisting Europe conceptualizes the foreign policies of Europe—defined as the European Union and its member states—toward the states in its immediate southern “neighborhood” as semi-imperial attempts to turn these states into Europe’s southern buffer zone, or borderlands. In these hybrid spaces, different types of rules and practices coexist and overlap, and negotiations over meaning and implementation take place. This book examines the diverse modalities by which states in the Mediterranean Middle East and North Africa (MENA) reject, resist, challenge, modify, or entirely change European policies and preferences and provides rich empirical evidence of these contestation practices in the fields of migration and border control, banking and finance, democracy promotion, and telecommunications. It addresses the complex question of when and how MENA states capitalize on their leverage and interdependence in their relationships with Europe and contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of Europe–Middle East relations, while engaging with broader debates on power and interdependence, order, and contestation in international relations. While a contribution on the practices of resistance and contestation of MENA states vis-à-vis European policies and preferences in this geopolitically significant region was overdue, this volume leads the way for subsequent studies that seek to overcome the constraints of exceptionalism so characteristic of research of the Middle East, Europe/the European Union, and certainly of their relationship.

This volume brings together an international network of political scientists and economists to offer options and strategies for strengthening Euro-Middle-East political, economic and social relations.

Regional integration and the organisation of cross-regional relations have been some of the most prominent features of international relations. By further strengthening the institutions of the European Union, Europe is taking steps to become a capable international actor. Only in few world regions, such as the Middle East, integration has not been a driving force moving political and economic relations. Given these structural imbalances between Europe and the Middle East, but also geographical proximity, economic interdependencies, and shared historical experiences, what interests does Europe pursue in the Middle East? And, if the goal of European policies is to establish stable political, economic and social relations with its neighbouring region, how could inter-regional relations best be organised?

Leading commentators on Europe and the Middle East explore many of the key issues which have informed the relationship between the two regions. Ranging from Europe's colonial legacies to an uncertain economic future in the region the book covers: * the Cold War and after * the profound influence of the US * the rise of political Islam * case studies including Europe and the Iranian revolution, France's experiences in Algeria, and Turkey's position between the two regions. The EU, it is argued, has more influence over economic strategies than security issues in the Middle East. These strategies have in turn promoted stability in the form of free trade zones, ensuring vital economic development between the Middle East and Europe.

Energy policy has always been important to the population for stability and to advance technological progress and economic growth. The scope of energy discussions and concerns in the world have expanded significantly in the last several decades. In order to cope with accelerating pollution from fossil fuels, countries have increased investments in renewable energy power plants. However, the existing technology does not allow for the significant increase of the capacity of renewable energy facilities in a short period. As a result, in order to maintain economic growth, countries continue to be highly dependent on fossil fuels like oil, natural gas, and coal. At the same time, some countries start to encounter such problems as depletion of their oil and natural gas resources. The aim of this book is to analyze energy resources in the Middle East and Eastern Europe and relations between countries that appear as a result of new discoveries in this area.

Designed for Option 5 for IB Higher Level History, this book will provide students with in-depth material for 7 of the 12 units that make up the Option (1, 2, 4, 7, 10, 11 and 12).