Near East South Asia
Center For Strategic Studies
Seminar
Schedule
Energizing Peace: Capitalizing on the Security Enhancement Opportunities of Eastern Mediterranean Energy Resource Development
13-16 March 2014
NEAR EAST SOUTH ASIA CENTER FOR STRATEGIC STUDIES
YTU DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON
Course Director: Professor Gawdat Bahgat
Deputy Director: Professor Tyler Rauert
Facilitators: Dean Roger Kangas, Fellow Jeffrey Payne
Program Planner: Ms. Terese Winegan
Energizing Peace: Security Enhancement Opportunities of Eastern Mediterranean Energy Resource Development
Major natural gas discoveries in the Eastern Mediterranean basin have the potential to fundamentally alter energy dynamics in the region and increase living standards and regional government revenues with associated capacity increases. These opportunities, however, have also raised the specter of conflict over competing claims to gas fields and maritime boundaries as well as concern over the physical security of off-shore platforms among the countries of the region: Egypt, the Palestinian Authority, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Cyprus, and Greece.
“Energizing Peace” views the discovery of natural gas resources in the Eastern Mediterranean basin as an opportunity to engage in confidence-building measures surrounding energy extraction and development at sea that have the potential for out-sized political impact in peace-building and security-enhancement efforts on land. In phase I the project will identify opportunities and obstacles to the cooperative development of energy resources in the Eastern Mediterranean Basin. Phase II will examine and develop potential solutions in coordination with ongoing government-to-government efforts. Finally, phase III of the project will work to implement these solutions with regional governments, academic institutions, and the private sector involved in energy development in the region.
“Energizing Peace” re-frames the issue of energy resource development in the Eastern Mediterranean basin from one of competition over resources to one of cooperative development that enhances security for all of the players involved. It will shift attitudes away from a zero-sum mentality to a win-win approach that uses the mutual interest in economic development to cross-subsidize security enhancement and political reconciliation on multiple fronts including Arab-Israeli and Turkish/Cypriot/Greek disputes. It will do so not only through the changed attitudes of conference participants but also through the written products associated with the project.
The impact of “Energizing Peace” will be evident in several ways. First, the stated positions of the governments involved in Eastern Mediterranean energy development is-sues should begin to shift their orientation toward a cooperative frame. Second, genuine progress in ongoing negotiations will be visible. Third, private sector entities will begin to invest more heavily in Eastern Mediterranean energy development as their assessment of the political risk associated with such investment decreases. Finally, and most importantly, progress on sea-based energy sector development will begin to spill over into other areas of political reconciliation and security enhancement.
Energizing Peace: Security Enhancement Opportunities of Eastern Mediterranean Energy Resource Development
Phase I: Identifying Opportunities and Obstacles 13-16 March 2014 Istanbul, Turkey
This workshop will survey the strategic opportunities and threats associated with Mediterranean Basin energy development. Task forces focused on specific issues will be identified and established: e.g. maritime border demarcation, geopolitical & economic consequences of cooperation v. conflict, common pool resource management techniques, lessons learned from similar efforts, economic impact & financing, etc.
These task forces will include individuals from relevant business, academic, national government, and non-governmental entities with expertise to apply to the problem under discussion. They need not necessarily have participated in the workshop to participate in the task force. The proceedings of the meeting will be made public while respecting the Chatham House Rule of non-attribution.
Phase II: Developing Solutions 4-7 September 2014 Houston, Texas
The task forces established at the Phase I workshop will present their findings at a follow-up workshop and present their overall conclusions and way forward at a public gathering in Houston. The task force reports, final conclusion, and proceedings of the meeting will be made public while respecting the Chatham House Rule of non-attribution.
Phase III: Implementation
Steering committee members, academic partners, regional players, and task force members will pursue the implementation of the solutions developed by the relevant task forces within the respective regional governments. They will then follow through with these efforts with an eye toward building on these confidence-building measures for broader peace-making among regional countries
Thursday, 13 March – Day One
1930 – 2100Welcome Reception
Friday, 14 March–Day Two
0830 – 0900Coffee and Networking
0900 – 0915Welcome and Overview
Speaker: Dr. Roger Kangas, Dean, Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies and Dr. Gawdat Bahgat, Professor, Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies
0915 – 0930Participant Introductions
0930 – 1030Session 01Economic Impact & Strategic Implications of Levant Basin Energy
Discoveries
Moderator:Mr. Tyler Rauert, Associate Professor, Near East South Asia Center for
Strategic Studies
Discussion:TBD
1030 – 1045Break
1045 – 1215Session 02Geology, Technical Considerations, & Current Eastern Mediterranean
Energy Infrastructure
Moderator:Dr. Ramanan Krishnamoorti, Chief Energy Officer, UH Energy
Discussion:TBD
1215 – 1315Lunch
Location:
1315 – 1445Session 03Obstacles to Development I: Regional Security & Macroeconomics
Moderator:Mr. Jeffrey Payne, Research Fellow, Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies
Discussion:TBD
1500 – 1630Session 04Obstacles to Development II: Security & Territorial Disputes
(Land & Sea)
Moderator: Dr. Gawdat Bahgat, Professor, Near East South Asia Center for Strategic
Studies
Discussion:TBD
1630 – 1645Review/Announcements
Speaker: Dr. Roger Kangas, Dean, Near East South Asia Center for Strategic
Studies
Saturday, 15 March – Day Two
0830 – 0900Coffee and Networking
0900 – 0915Review of Day One
Speaker:Dr. Roger Kangas, Dean, Near East South Asia Center for Strategic
Studies
0915 – 1030Session 05Developing the Eastern Mediterranean as an Energy Transit Hub: The
Decision to Export and Export Options
Moderator:Dr. Ramanan Krishnamoorti, Chief Energy Officer, UH Energy
Discussion:TBD
1030 – 1045Break
1045 – 1215Session 06Overcoming Obstacles to Development: Capitalizing on Energy
Development Opportunities
Moderator:Dr. Roger Kangas, Dean, Near East South Asia Center for Strategic
Studies
Discussion:TBD
1215 – 1345Working Lunch
Location:
1345 – 1545Session 07Overcoming Obstacles to Development: Capitalizing on Energy
Development Opportunities (cont.)
Moderator:Mr. Jeffrey Payne, Research Fellow, Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies
Discussion:TBD
1545 – 1600Review/Announcements
Speaker: Dr. Roger Kangas, Dean, Near East South Asia Center for Strategic
Studies
Sunday, 16 March – Day Three
0830 – 0900Coffee and Networking
0900 – 0915Review of Day Two
Speaker:Dr. Roger Kangas, Dean, Near East South Asia Center for Strategic
Studies
0915 – 1030Session 08Planning Phase II: Task Force Development
Moderator:Mr. Tyler Rauert, Associate Professor, Near East South Asia Center for
Strategic Studies
Discussion:TBD
1030 – 1045Break
1045 – 1215Session 0pPlanning Phase II: Work Plan and Deliverables
Moderator:Dr. Gawdat Bahgat, Professor, Near East South Asia Center for Strategic
Studies
Discussion:TBD
1230 - 1300Conclusions
Speaker:Dr. Roger Kangas, Dean, Near East South Asia Center for Strategic
Studies and Dr. Gawdat Bahgat, Professor, Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies
1300 Participants Depart