This paper utilizes Regional Security Complex Theory in order to analyze the different dimensions of energy security and the ways in which they affect securitization relations on a bilateral as well as a regional level. The paper specifically focuses on the politicization of energy through the application of the theoretical framework to the recent energy-related developments in the Eastern Mediterranean. The paper presents a comparative assessment of dynamics in securitization relations among regional actors prior to and following the discovery of significant quantities of natural gas reserves in the region. As a result, the paper analyzes the introduction of energy as an exogenous parameter and its effects on the securitization relations among the states of the region. The paper ultimately illustrates that energy introduces a multiplier effect to the level of securitization in existing state relations both in the positive and negative directions.
