Israel, Greece & Cyprus: The New Architecture of the Eastern Mediterranean | Shay Gal

Can Greece trust America's nuclear shield? Could Europe deter Russia without Washington? And is NATO entering a new era of uncertainty? On Global Greek Influence, host Dr. Panagiota Pimenidou speaks with Dr. Eleni Ekmektsioglou, Policy Fellow at BASIC and expert in nuclear deterrence, military innovation and emerging technologies. A former postdoctoral fellow at the University of California's Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, Dr. Ekemktsioglou has also worked with the EU Institute for Security Studies in Paris and Pacific Forum CSIS in Honolulu, researching China's nuclear and naval strategy. From Russia's nuclear threats and Trump's NATO policies to France and Britain's nuclear ambitions, we explore the future of European security. What does it mean for Greece, Turkey and the Eastern Mediterranean? Could AI undermine nuclear deterrence? And is Europe ready to stand on its own? 🇬🇷 A timely geopolitical conversation for Greeks worldwide.

Is Lebanon’s national identity crisis rooted in political dysfunction, or in a deeper struggle over its history, language, and civilisational heritage? In Season 7 of Global Greek Influence, dedicated to geopolitics, Dr. Amine-Jules Iskandar, Director of the Institute of Lebanese Thought at Notre Dame University–Louaizé, Professor of Architecture at the Lebanese University, and President of the Syriac Maronite Union – Tur Levnon (⁠https://tur-levnon.org/⁠⁠), examines Lebanon’s identity crisis, Syriac-Maronite heritage, and struggle for sovereignty amid shifting regional power dynamics. From Hezbollah and Syria to Turkey’s regional ambitions, the conversation explores Lebanon’s geopolitical future and the potential for closer strategic cooperation with Greece, Cyprus, and Israel. Could Lebanon’s historical identity hold the key to its future in the Eastern Mediterranean?

Can Greece turn its Aegean islands, shipping strength and maritime technology into a strategic advantage against Turkish pressure? Konstantinos Kolokotronis joins Dr. Panagiota Pimenidou to examine island-based missile defence, Panoptis offshore platforms, satellite surveillance, the 12-nautical-mile dispute and defence cooperation with Cyprus and Israel. A Polity21 writer and merchant navy cadet with an MA in War Strategy and Intelligence, he explores how Greece could move from reacting to crises to shaping its position in the Eastern Mediterranean.

What does the survival of Romeika reveal about Pontic Greek identity and the enduring presence of Hellenism in the Black Sea?

Does the Greek diaspora really have influence — or simply access? Endy Zemenides, Executive Director of the Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC), joins Global Greek Influence for a wide-ranging conversation about power, advocacy and the changing geopolitical environment facing Greece, Cyprus and the global Hellenic community. Zemenides challenges the diaspora to think beyond visibility and ask a harder question: are Greeks actually at the tables where decisions are made? We discuss why traditional Greek advocacy has too often amounted to “talking to ourselves”; why the next generation of the diaspora must exercise influence outside the Greek community; and how Greece and Cyprus can build real strategic leverage in an increasingly uncertain international order. The conversation also turns to Turkey and Erdoğan, NATO, the future of the rules-based order, European defence, and the Cyprus question — including a provocative challenge: 50 years after 1974, what should Cyprus aspire to become by 2074? “If you’re not at the table, you’re not going to have influence.” A conversation about the difference between having connections and having power — and what Greeks around the world can do with both. Global Greek Influence explores how Greeks and the diaspora shape business, politics, culture and global affairs.