.... Copyright 2011 by Mediterranean Affairs, Inc. Not an Exceptional Country: Russia and the Global Financial Crisis of 2008 – 2009 Shalendra D. Sharma During the first and second quarters of 2008, as the subprime-­induced financial crisis began to spread...

... sustaining coordination while adjusting for economic change. In particular, it seeks to explore ways in which subnational factors promote the ability of socioeconomic actors to develop public-private institutions. By focusing on a particular autonomous region of Spain, the Basque Country, this article...

... Normal Country? Howard J. Wiarda For most of modern history, Spain has lagged behind the rest of Western Europe and has often been referred to as “different,” “unique,” and “dis- tinctive.” Spain not only lagged...

...Kostas Rontos; Luca Salvati; Petros Sioussiouras; Ioannis Vavouras The authors propose a classification of the perceived corruption levels of Mediterranean countries according to key political, economic, and social factors. While relevant empirical research has shown the extent of corruption in...

...Petros Sioussiouras; Ioannis Vavouras This essay provides an account of the phenomenon of corruption in the Balkan and Arab countries of the Mediterranean. The analysis focuses on the effects that the political system—approached through the lens of political rights—and the level of economic...

... Heritage. Roumani was the first secretary-general of the World Organization of Jews from Arab Countries (WOJAC). He has written extensively on Jews from Arab countries and their integration into Israel. The Silent Refugees: Jews from Arab Countries Maurice M. Roumani...

...Karthika Sasikumar In 2009, citizens of Serbia were finally allowed to make short trips to Schengen zone countries without visas. This represented a victory for the regime in Belgrade. A whole generation of Serbians had been held back from European travel by the visa requirement that was introduced...

...Michail Ploumis; Labros E. Pilalis Five years after the Arab uprisings in 2011, countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) had difficulties finding their pathway to sustainable economic and political change. Arab oil-producing countries suffered from decreasing oil prices while the Arab...

...Michael B. Bishku The South Caucasus republics have given great importance to their respective ties with their Middle Eastern neighbors. In general, they have attempted to expand trade with those countries and to avoid involvement in regional disputes. Relations with Turkey and Iran have held the...

...Gawdat Bahgat Since the early 2000s Iran's nuclear program has been a major focus of international and regional policy. Many policy makers and scholars have expressed their concern that if Iran “goes nuclear” other Middle Eastern countries, particularly Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, will follow...

...Konstantinos S. Skandalis Entrepreneurship represents a very important element in the sustainable development of a country’s economy and becomes more complex when viewed from the angle of migration, which affects nearly all countries whether they are a place of origin, transit, destination, or a...

... ability to deal with countries outside the EU using existing interparliamentary meetings. This evolution of the EP has occurred while other important and related developments were taking place: the emergence of a global terrorist threat and the so-called Arab Spring, which has spanned most Arab countries...

...Tomáš Vlček; Martin Jirušek Albania is a small country in the Western Balkans whose role in international politics throughout history has been minor, mainly due to its size, low economic potential, and the legacy of the Stalinist isolationist regime that was in place during the Cold War era. The...

... of seaborne migrants landing on the island has been rather modest, given the country's small size and very high population density, illegal immigration has become one of Malta's top policy priorities, nationally as well as on the EU level, and it has been calling for more support and burden-sharing...

...George Bistis This essay traces the history of the Far Right in Greece, which is on the rise again almost four decades after the collapse of the military junta that ruled the Mediterranean country from 1967 to 1974. The author examines how the Golden Dawn party capitalized on Greek citizens...

...Michele L. Crumley Coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world, and it is one of the leading exports for eighteen sub-Saharan African countries. Seventy percent of coffee is grown by smallholder farmers. As global trade of coffee has grown, have smallholder coffee farmers benefited from...

...Burak Erdenir This essay analyzes the change in value orientations of Turkish society in recent decades with reference to the Europeanization process the country has been going through, particularly that embodied in the European Union accession process. As the Europeanization of Turkish political...

...Marina Skordeli Since about 2005 relations between Greece and China have gained unprecedented momentum. At first glance, the timing and the reasons behind such a boost in bilateral relations between countries so distant and unequal in size are not entirely obvious. This essay examines how the...

...Philip Giurlando The adoption of the euro was a significant event for Italy. There were expectations that the currency would transform the country's political economy, but this did not transpire. This, coupled with the belief that the euro “doubled” prices across the country, led to a widespread...

...Alexandros P. Mallias The author, the Greek ambassador to the United States, argues that the Balkan countries have made significant strides in economic and security stabilization over the past decade but points to particular challenges, notably in Kosovo and the Former Yugoslav Republic of...