Mapping a Regional Institutional Architecture: The Case of the Mediterranean

Abstract: Intra-regional international institutions are important for the development of a region because they facilitate its coherence and the build-up of common values. The Mediterranean region lacks a strong institutional infrastructure, which contributes to the fact that many states in the Mediterranean region, especially the poorer ones, play only a marginal role in Mediterranean affairs. Yet there are some positive developments. The analysis of the existing web of intra-Mediterranean international non-governmental institutions shows that it has been growing stronger since the end of the cold war. Unfortunately, this development has not been matched by the growth of a web of intergovernmental institutions. This makes the contemporary Mediterranean institutional architecture incomplete, and the population there vulnerable to interest from external actors.