The pandemic period has brought new border restrictions around the world. In the Eastern Mediterranean, new border regimes have intersected with heightened securitisation and surveillance as a result of political conflict in Turkey, war in Syria, social and political upheaval in Lebanon, and growing tensions around hydrocarbons throughout the region. In Cyprus, a failed negotiation process and growing numbers of refugees and illegal migrants trying to enter the island through the north have led to a hardening of the border. Moreover, the Republic of Cyprus has now begun the process to join the Schengen Area, as a result of which the RoC has hired Israeli firms to survey the buffer zone and has erected iron gates at the checkpoints. In contrast, the island’s north is influenced by the climate of political unrest in Turkey, leading to thousands of new surveillance cameras becoming part of everyday life. The project examines the reasons for these new forms of bordering and their effects on regional coexistence and tensions. Research on Cyprus focuses primarily on the border region and the effects on economic interaction, which had been increasing prior to the Covid closures. PRIO researchers conduct interviews with business owners, traders, and workers who frequently crossed the boundary, or benefited from crossings, prior to the restrictions. Politicians and civil society representatives on both sides of the divide are also interviewed regarding the legal and social repercussions of increased surveillance and border restrictions.
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The pandemic period has brought new border restrictions around the world. In the Eastern Mediterranean, new border regimes have intersected with heightened securitisation and surveillance as a result.
