f Energy Safety in the Mediterranean

The surroundings of the Mediterranean Sea has long been considered from the viewpoint of its natural characteristics and historical richness the most desirable region to live in. Despite that it is not the most prosperous part of the world and neither is it the safest. The reason for these infirmities lies in its cultural diversity and the unequal degres of develpment of the societies that inhabit its shores. Around the Mediterranean a prosperous and a free north faces a poor south suffering from a number of tyrranies. In the present state of the world, however, the tyrannies of the south posses much richer energy resources than the free north and this asymmetry has long been a concern not only for the inhabitants of the Mediterranean region, but for the entire world. Moreover, the Mediterranean sits across some of the most critical shipping lanes that also transport energy sources. Under these circumstances the geologist is often questioned by administrators and by the population as to what the future holds in store for the Mediterranean energy situation. To answer that question, one must take stock of the present situation.