EDITORIAL

Demetrios Tsailas (ret Admiral)
(He has taught for many years, operational planning, strategy, and security, to senior officers at the Supreme Joint War College. He is a member and researcher of the Institute for National and International Security)

Copyright: @ 2026 Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) Publication date: 9 July 2026

Note: The article reflects the opinion of the author and not necessarily the views of the Research Institute for European and American Studies

Introduction
The Eastern Mediterranean is undergoing its most profound strategic transformation since the end of the Cold War (Tsailas, 2026) The era in which the maritime domain was regarded primarily as a commercial corridor has come to an end. Today, the Mediterranean has re-emerged as a contested geopolitical arena where sovereignty, deterrence, energy security, technological superiority, and naval power intersect.... Read more

by Riaan Eksteen, Ph.D.
(Emeritus Ambassador and currently Research Associate with the Department of Political Studies and Governance, Faculty: The Humanities, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein)

Copyright: @ 2026 Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) Publication date: 9 July 2026

Note: The article reflects the opinion of the author and not necessarily the views of the Research Institute for European and American Studies

Note: Presented to the International Online Scientific Conference “Proxy Warfare - Proxy Wars in the Contemporary Security Environment” held online via Microsoft Teams, Warsaw, 24 June 2026.

Proxy conflicts are a critical aspect of the contemporary security landscape, since they enable states and non-state actors to achieve strategic objectives indirectly, frequently underneath the threshold of overt interstate conflict. A proxy war is a conflict in which a foreign entity aids a local state or non-state combatant to influence the outcome without direct belligerent involvement. The key concern inherent in this definition is the employment of a proxy force to further the sponsor's goals.... Read more

Savannah Bennett & Rachel Skinner
(RIEAS Interns & Undergraduate Students, Department of Intelligence and Security Studies, Coastal Carolina University, USA)

Copyright: @ 2026 Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) Publication date: 21 June 2026

Note: The article reflects the opinion of the author and not necessarily the views of the Research Institute for European and American Studies

Note: Eva Akritidou, Reviewer of the Research Article

The Eastern Mediterranean has become increasingly important in geopolitics due to its positioning between Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. As there is a competition for energy and economical gains, the US has emerged as a key focus for foreign policy....  Read more

File:Mediterranean-sea-from-spaceMediterranean sea from space.png,Wikimedia Commons, License details

Sea Power, Sovereignty and the Hellenic Imperative in an Age of Regional Revisionism

Demetrios Tsailas (ret Admiral)
(He has taught for many years, operational planning, strategy, and security, to senior officers at the Supreme Joint War College. He is a member and researcher of the Institute for National and International Security)

Copyright: @ 2026 Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) Publication date: 21 June 2026

Note: The article reflects the opinion of the author and not necessarily the views of the Research Institute for European and American Studies

Introduction: The Return of Geopolitics in the Mediterranean

The Mediterranean is entering a new strategic era. The post-Cold War order that shaped the basin for more than three decades, characterized by overwhelming American predominance, European economic influence, and a relatively stable maritime environment, is gradually giving way to a more fluid and competitive geopolitical landscape.... Read more

Diogenis Rossidis
(Former Intern at RIEAS, Undergraduate Student of International Relations at the University of Piraeus, Greece)

Copyright: @ 2026 Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) Publication date: 14 June 2026

Note: The article reflects the opinion of the author and not necessarily the views of the Research Institute for European and American Studies

The postwar international system and the global economic empire of the United States was built on the liberalization of trade relations. Upon this principle the European edifice was erected, under American guidance, later expanding after the fall of the Soviet Union to include countries of the former Eastern Bloc. The triumph of liberalism in the Manichean conflict of the Cold War gave rise to the conviction that the spread of economic interconnection and the removal of trade barriers would bring about the "End of History.".... Read more

Dr Darko Trifunovic
(Senior Research Fellow of RIEAS and Director of INIS)

Copyright: @ 2026 Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) Publication date: 29 May 2026

Note: The article reflects the opinion of the author and not necessarily the views of the Research Institute for European and American Studies

The Ukrainian "Logistics Lockdown" concept demonstrates the emergence of a new model of operational-depth warfare in which the primary objective is not the immediate destruction of frontline forces, but the systematic paralysis of the enemy's operational ecosystem, including logistics, command structures, communications, ammunition depots, fuel reserves, transportation networks, and reinforcement corridors. Modern armed conflict in Ukraine has given us a new picture that the character of armed conflict has radically changed.... Read more