Security cooperation in Mediterranean countries

Security is one of the most difficult concepts to analyze, as it has become a variable, relative, and complex concept with multiple and diverse dimensions and levels, and is exposed to direct and indirect threats from different sources, whether related to the security of the individual or the security of the state. The study of security has occupied an important position in the foreign policy of many countries, and is usually considered one of their main objectives, especially since it is no longer limited to the traditional or military dimension, but has come to include diverse dimensions that aim to provide the security of the individual, develop society and achieve its goals, and ensure the security of the state and the international system. Due to the importance of this topic, we find that theories in international relations have included the phenomenon of security in the study and analysis under an international system dominated by the interests of the actors in it. In this book, this concept was addressed from the perspective of both realist theory and liberal theory, in its traditional and new forms. The period that came after the end of the Cold War and the beginning of the nineties of the last century witnessed the emergence of many new security threats and risks that generated a sense of security in many countries and regions, especially in important regions of the world, of which the Mediterranean basin region is one. The region presents a contradictory duality between advanced countries in the north on the one hand, and underdeveloped countries in the south on the other hand. These threats do not represent a clear military danger in their nature, but rather challenges that have multiplied in their forms and diversified in their motives. The most prominent of these threats are international terrorism, illegal immigration, and organized crime, as well as internal and inter-regional conflicts. This prompted the countries of the northern shore, represented by the European countries, to reconsider their relations with the countries of the southern shore by launching security initiatives to reduce or minimize the danger of these threats and risks, whether on their own or with the participation of international organizations as well.