A case of Mediterranean subversion? assessing the policies of four non-aligned Mediterranean statesmen – Dominic Mintoff, Josip Broz Tito, Archbishop Makarios III and Gamal Abdel Nasser.

Abstract

In an increasingly polarised world where two opposing forces, the Western capitalist world and the Eastern communist bloc, were becoming increasingly hostile toward and distrustful of each other after WWII, the Eastern Mediterranean Basin seemed to choose an alternative, if nevertheless ‘central’ course. The aim of this dissertation will be to assess whether or not there was a distinctive and somehow subversive Mediterranean type of socialism/communism in the light of the foreign policies of Josip Broz Tito in Yugoslavia, Gamal Abdel Nasser in Egypt, Archbishop Makarios III in Cyprus and Dominic Mintoff in Malta, and attempt to decipher any commonalities between them and the role it played, if any, in the global arena. Due to limitations of words and time, I shall only focus on the foreign policies and external relations of the four leaders above during roughly the 1950s, 60s and 70s, tracking back and ahead slightly to provide the adequate context. Additionally, while firstly delving into the Non-Aligned Movement and its origins, the institution will feature heavily to sustain the argument given that most of its members were newly independent states in search of the most sustainable way forward.