... 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...

.... 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...

... 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...

...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...

...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...

...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...

... 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...

...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...

... 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...

...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...

... these have on Africa's development are examined. The authors argue that there are two very important perspectives—exploitation and opportunity—on China's role in Africa's development. The authors also argue that African countries must implement meaningful structural and policy changes that could enable...

...J. E. Peterson There have been three economic transformations of the Arab Gulf. Yet the obstacles today remain eerily similar to those of forty years ago. Oil reserves are finite and nonoil resources in the gulf states—minerals, arable land, skilled population, and even capital for some countries...

...Pamela Lesser Twenty-one countries share the Mediterranean's coastline with no single country responsible for its environmental deterioration or its protection. They are collectively responsible for both. Over four decades, the environmental dimension of Europe's policy toward its Mediterranean...

...Gregory Hall; Tiara Grant Increasingly, Central Asia, and specifically the Caspian Sea Basin (CSB), is becoming a crowded place, as government officials and oil interests from European Union countries, the United States, Russia, China, Iran, Turkey, and elsewhere (including increasingly energy...

...Merve Kavakci Modern Turkey is experiencing one of its most defining moments since its inception. If the passage from one-party system to multiparty system in 1940 was one such turning point and if the period of Turgut Ozal's governance, which gave the country access to the international market for...