Mediterranean Platform

Turkey's Strategic Hedging Between Middle East Turmoil and African Expansion
As US–Iran talks and the signing of a memorandum of understanding raise hopes of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and as Turkey sharpens its confrontation with Israel while deepening its military foothold in the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa, Ankara may emerge as one of the consequential actors in the Red Sea's future.

President Erdoğan has warned that Israel's attacks on Syria and Lebanon now threaten Turkey, and that Israel's "aggression" endangers the whole world and must be stopped. Turkey is accelerating more than a decade of entrenchment in Somalia, amid recent talks between Somalia's President and the opposition on an impending constitutional crisis. Meanwhile, the Somaliland President was on an official visit to Israel, which recognises Somaliland as an independent state.

From Camp TURKSOM, Turkey's largest overseas base, and a 2024 ten-year agreement to rebuild Somalia's navy, to the first public flights of Turkish F-16s over Mogadishu in April 2026, Ankara is steadily extending its reach into the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and one of the world's most contested maritime corridors.

Its blend of military presence, defence partnerships, humanitarian diplomacy, and economic engagement has made it a highly adaptable actor, yet the war brings both constraints and opportunities. Turkey's trajectory will hinge on how it balances competition and coordination with the GCC and other regional powers, particularly where interests align around maritime security, trade corridors, and countering instability.

How is Ankara navigating the Middle East war while consolidating and expanding its role across the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Horn of Africa?

Join us for the fourth edition of the Red Sea Dialogues:

REDD 4: Balancing the Storm? Turkey's Strategic Hedging Between Middle East Turmoil and African Expansion

🗓 Thursday, 2 June
🕒 15:00–16:30 CET
Via Zoom: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/GGFUn54nRHy4BfDQUZ6SmA #/

Featuring:
• Dr. Dalia Ghanem (Moderator) – Senior Visiting Fellow, GMF South
• Jawhratelkmal Kanu – Political Economy Analyst and Development Practitioner
• Dr. Kaan Devecioglu – Coordinator of North & East Africa Studies, ORSAM
• Dr. Abdullahi Ali – Public Policy Expert, Nonprofit Executive, and Social Enterprise Leader
•⁠ ⁠Dr. Ozge Genc – Visiting Fellow, Middle East Council on Global Affairs

The discussion held by the Mediterranean Platform and the Pan African Agenda will explore how Turkey is balancing competition and cooperation across the Red Sea region, the implications of its growing role in the Horn of Africa, and what Ankara's strategy means for the future of regional stability, maritime security, and geopolitical competition.

The Red Sea is no longer only a maritime corridor. It has become a frontline where geopolitical rivalries, economic interests, and security calculations increasingly collide.

As the consequences of the 2026 Middle East war continue to reshape the region, states in the Gulf and Horn of Africa are facing a new strategic reality.

Years of competitive influence across Yemen, Sudan, Somalia, Libya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Egypt and the wider Horn of Africa are now meeting rising costs, direct spillovers, and growing pressure for coordination.

Will the post-war environment push GCC actors toward cooperation and collective security? Or will rivalry and proxies persist under new forms?

Join us for the third session of the Red Sea Dialogues webinar series:

“After the Fire: Will the Gulf Cooperate or Compete in the Red Sea?”

The discussion will bring together leading voices in regional security, geopolitics, and Gulf affairs to unpack the future of Gulf strategy and the evolving balance of power across the Red Sea corridor.

Featuring:
• Prof. Mahjoob Zweiri
• Dr. Ahmed M.
• Prof. Luigi Narbone
• Ms. Asma M. A.
Moderated by Prof. Mehari Taddele Maru

📅 Thursday, June 4th
⏰ 15:00–16:30 CET

Join the conversation on zoom: https://lnkd.in/dBGVbPfR

Organized by the Mediterranean Platform and Pan African Agenda.

The Red Sea is no longer a set of isolated waterways, it is becoming a connected arc of strategic tension.

REDD 2: From Waterways to Chokepoints, the second session of the REDD – Red Sea Dialogue Webinar Series organized by the Mediterranean Platform and Pan African Agenda, explores how developments from the Strait of Hormuz to Bab el-Mandeb are increasingly interlinked, where local fragilities intersect with proxy dynamics and global rivalries. Disruptions in one chokepoint now reverberate across the other, reshaping trade routes, energy flows, and security across one of the world’s most critical corridors.

Building on the series’ ongoing dialogue, and the e-book ‘The Red Sea: Divided by Water, United by Opportunities’ co published by the Mediterranean Platform, Pan African Agenda and the Middle East Council on Global Affairs مجلس الشرق الأوسط للشؤون الدولية, this session situates maritime insecurity within a wider system of state fragility, power projection, and economic vulnerability, raising key questions around escalation risks and the resilience of global trade arteries.

Featuring:
Prof. Gawdat Bahgat, Prof. Mehari Taddele Maru, and Mr. Nabil Al-Bukiri
Moderated by Prof. Luigi Narbone

📅 Thursday, 7 May 2026
⏰ 15:00 – 16:30 (CET)
🌐 Online | Open to all

Join the conversation on zoom:
https://lnkd.in/dBGVbPfR

Power and Pressure: Energy and Conflict in the Middle East and Beyond
(Call for Applications)

Are you following global conflicts but still wondering what really drives them beneath the headlines?

Do you question how energy decisions in one region reshape politics, alliances, and wars elsewhere?

Do you want to move from reporting events to understanding the systems behind them?

If any or all of the above applies to you, the Mediterranean Platform invites you to apply to a two-day intensive online workshop on energy and geopolitics.

The training will be a live, interactive space where media professionals, Researchers, and Policymakers work through real scenarios, data, and decision-making exercises with leading experts in the field.

Across two days, we will explore:
• How global energy systems actually function
• How geopolitics reshapes supply, dependence, and power
• How to read disruptions and anticipate political and market shifts

Dates: 13–14 May 2026
Time: 14:00 – 17:00 (CET)
Format: Online | Live | Interactive | Conducted fully in English.

Who should apply:
Journalists, editors, researchers, and policymakers working on politics, economics, energy, and regional affairs.

What you gain:
• A practical understanding of how energy systems shape global conflict and decision-making
• Hands-on tools to analyze disruptions and build stronger story angles
• The ability to turn complex systems into clear, evidence-based reporting and explainers

Trainers:
Leon Stille — Energy Transition Leader& Geopolitics Analyst
Marco Sina — Senior Energy and Logistics Specialist

Facilitator:
Faten Yehia Jebai — Training Management Expert

Applications open via a short online form. Selected participants will be contacted a week before the training directly.

Apply now through the following link — limited spots available:

https://shorturl.at/wVHLk

We’re very happy to announce the successful conclusion of a year-long research project, "Russia’s Soft Power Strategies in the MENA Region and Africa"! The project aimed at exploring Russia’s strategic use of soft power in Syria, Libya, Mali, and Algeria and making sense of its objectives in the region.

Today, the research team had the pleasure of presenting their findings at the Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale, which has funded this timely initiative.

The project was coordinated by the Luiss Mediterranean Platform, under the leadership of Director Luigi Narbone and Scientific Coordinator Virginie Collombier. It was carried out in collaboration with a team of leading experts including Prof. Luca Raineri (Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna), Prof. Carolina de Stefano (LUISS University) and PhD candidate Elise Daniaud (LUISS University).

An ebook with the fundings of the research project will soon be published. Stay tuned.



Scuola Superiore Luiss Guido Carli

💡 We're happy to share with you our page on ResearchGate , updated with our recent publications.

Our research covers the transformation of societies and polities in the Mediterranean by looking at the long-term trends and dynamics in the region.

So far, we’ve covered regional geopolitical transformations, as well as local governance, environment, heritage, infrastructure, and reconciliation in Libya.

You can access our publications here: https://bit.ly/4ekkAVw.

Mediterranean PLATFORM | School of Government | Policy Research and Dialogue Programme | Mediterranean Platform | Research profile The Mediterranean Platform is a research, dialogue, and educational programme at the School of Government, Luiss Guido Carli. The Platform aims to nurture a deeper understanding of the region by offering insights into the complex transformation of societies and polities and by addressing long-term t...

🎙️ As the start of the semester is coming close, we are excited to share new insights and analysis!

Today, Professor Virginie Collombier offered her expertise on Derna’s reconstruction efforts and Libya’s complex political and economic landscape in both an article and a podcast.

In Libération journalist Célian Macé interviewed Prof. Collombier about the rebuilding of Derna after last year’s devastating floods. She highlighted how the Haftar family benefited politically and economically from leading the reconstruction while raising concerns about their illicit activities and the lack of financial transparency.
Read the full article: https://bit.ly/4d5VGHY

In Radio France Internationale’s "Le grand invité Afrique," Prof. Collombier discussed these issues further with Christophe Boisbouvier. She noted how the Haftar clan, particularly General Haftar’s son, Belgassim, used the reconstruction to consolidate power. The conversation also touched on Libya’s broader political situation, the role of the Central Bank, and relations with the Tripoli-based government.
Listen to the full episode: https://bit.ly/3TlC2Ri.

👉Both interviews are available in French!



Libération RFI

Photo by Libération.

Libération - Luiss Mediterranean Platform On September 11, in an article by Libération, Célian Macé interviews Virginie Collombier about Derna’s reconstruction efforts. A year after devastating floods, the city’s rebuilding is entirely managed by the Haftar clan, which controls eastern Libya. The article highlights the political and ...

We are pleased to announce the launch of the Libya Youth Economic Research Forum (YERF), bringing together 20 young talents —12 males and 8 females— from across Libya to discuss the country's economic vision with peers, experts and key local and international stakeholders.

Selected out of over 85 applications, the participants will start by undergoing a 6-month training followed by a series of timely policy discussions.

The YERF is managed by the World Bank’s Libya Development Trust Fund (LDTF), and implemented by the Luiss Mediterranean Platform, in partnership with the UNIMED - Mediterranean Universities Union.

Learn more here: https://bit.ly/3VJmg4c.

📌The application deadline for the Master's Degree in Mediterranean Cooperation and Security has been extended to 22nd September.

These are the last days to submit your application and immerse yourself in the world of Mediterranean relations!

Apply now here: https://bit.ly/3XiJ5LE.