PERFORATED SOVEREIGNTY: THE GEOPOLITICAL DILEMMA OF AEGEAN HYDROCARBONS _______________________________________ A Thesis presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School at the University of Missouri-Columbia _______________________________________________________ In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirement for the Degree Master of Arts _____________________________________________________ by MELISSA ANNE NORTH HIGGS Dr. Soren Larsen, Thesis Supervisor DECEMBER 2018 The undersigned, appointed by the dean of the Graduate School, have examined the thesis entitled: PERFORATED SOVEREIGNTY: THE GEOPOLITICAL DILEMMA OF AEGEAN SEA HYDROCARBONS presented by Melissa Anne North Higgs, a candidate for the degree of Master of Arts, and hereby certify that, in their opinion, it is worthy of acceptance. __________________________________________________ Dr. Soren Larsen ___________________________________________________ Dr. Joseph Hobbs __________________________________________________ Dr. Nikolaos Poulopoulos Winds in the East, Mist coming in Like something is brewin’, About to begin. Can’t put my finger on what lies in store, But I feel what’s to happen, All happened before. Mary Poppins To my Mother and Father who introduced me to the world, To my husband Gary who has given me the world, To my children, Karen and Jonathan, who allowed me to see the world anew through their eyes. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The pathway to this graduate school experience has been a rather circuitous route that was many years in coming, beginning in earnest with my husband’s receipt of a Fulbright Fellowship in Athens, Greece in 2010. Along the way, there have been many people and events that have played a major role in innumerable crucial ways; I cannot even begin to enumerate them all. But what can one say when a line in the acknowledgments will never be enough? I owe you all so much more than a simple ‘Thank you very much’, Merci beaucoup, and/or Efcharistó pára polý for your insights, guidance and support than I can ever say! I am, and will be, forever in your debt. First and foremost, I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Nicolas and Christina Sifakis without whom this journey might never have begun. Who would think that a simple dinner out and ride to the top of Mt. Penteli would set events in motion for the next eight years? Thank you both for opening my mind, for providing valuable insights, and for your friendship. So much knowledge, so much joy comes from spending time with you and your family. Any graduate degree wouldn’t be begun without an Advisor, nor completed without a Committee. I have been privileged to have worked with three gentlemen whose wisdom and expertise have been invaluable, with each of them playing their own unique role. To my advisor, Dr. Soren Larsen, I cannot even begin to express my gratitude for opening the door to Geography at the University of Missouri – Columbia, and for your forbearance as I worked my way through this complicated research. Your knowledge regarding geographic research paradigms, methodologies, and the importance of writing well have taught me how to tell a good story while adhering to a standard of disciplined scholarship. It is a real joy when they come together in one manuscript. To Dr. Joseph Hobbs, your knowledge of Geopolitics and the Middle East have been critical in this research, and I am immensely grateful for your advice and guidance in making this research project a reality. As my ‘geographic contemporary’, you have understood much of my thinking processes over the course of the last few years as I have worked through several of the major pieces of this project in class term papers, and the many classes taken under your leadership have all been important components in pulling this research together. I am sure you recognized many of the ‘pieces’! To Dr. Nikolaos Poulopoulos, I don’t even know where to begin to thank you for your role in this project. From the knowledge of Modern Greek history you shared in the very first class I took on this academic journey, to your patience as I learned to be a graduate student in the 21st century, I sincerely thank you. You planted the seeds of this research project in the summer of 2013 and provided impetus for its further development and investigation over coffee or a meal at various venues across Athens and in your hometown on the shores of the Gulf of Corinth. Your remark that the defended document was exactly what you were looking for meant the world to me! My thanks also extend to all members of the Geography Department at the University of Missouri – Columbia. Their patience as I worked slowly through my ii coursework has been incredible, and I’d like to think that they never gave up on me finishing this degree. Special thanks also extend to the Director of Graduate Studies in Geography during much of my tenure at the university, Dr. Matt Foulkes, who gave me the latitude and flexibility to take those classes that really made a difference in seeing this research through to its completion. I also owe a debt of extreme gratitude to Ryan Adkins in the University of Missouri – Columbia Graduate School, who, with the clock ticking down, has salvaged this thesis when the utterly frustrating formatting requirements threatened to derail years of effort. Not to be forgotten in the extension of my gratitude are the friends and family who have been there throughout this whole graduate school endeavor through both thick and thin, listening, encouraging and providing guidance or assistance when it was critically necessary. To my college roommate, Pat McHenry, who listened as I prattled on in my excitement or frustrations over the last few years even when she was so totally uninterested in the subject matter, I thank you for your moments of enlightened and seemingly unending patience, your support of what I was doing, and your love as my sister and my friend. To Kathy and Taki Cambas, dear friends in Athens, who were always able to provide valuable insights into Greek culture and the complicated geopolitics of the Aegean arena, knowledge on where to go or who to see, and translation assistance when needed, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for being there to bounce ideas off of and a window into the soul of Greece. To my children, Karen and Jonathan, who provided levity and joy to this academic challenge, and constantly reminded me of the things that I said to them when they were in school by saying those same words back to me, I extend my heartfelt thanks – what goes around does come around! To my Daddy, I thank you for the many hours spent with a map of the world when I was a very small girl, and to, albeit unintentionally, training a geographer with a sincere appreciation for history on all of those summer vacations. To my Mom, as mothers usually are, a constant and steadfast supporter, I thank you for being who you always have been, my first and foremost champion. And to my Auntie Peg and Uncle Eric, whose simple comment in the summer of 2015 that my father would be so proud meant more to me than you will ever know. To my husband Gary, whose tolerance for piles of paper distributed throughout the house, patience for household tasks delayed or left undone, and a source of understanding and unfailing support in my times of frustration and occasional tears, all I can say is that the words ‘thank you’ will never be enough. With the completion of this grand academic adventure with its accompanying philosophical abstractions, I am, once again, your full partner in the realities of what we have built together, and I look forward, as I know you do, to not having property that looks like a local advert for ‘prairie rehab’! iii Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................ ii ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................. vii PROLOGUE ............................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION................................................................................................. 6 1.1 Westphalian Sovereignty ........................................................................................... 14 1.2 Perforated Sovereignty .............................................................................................. 16 1.3 Research Foundations, Goals, and Objectives ............................................................ 20 1.4 Justification and Significance of the Research ............................................................ 22 1.5 Research Limitations ................................................................................................. 24 CHAPTER II: A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ................................................................. 26 2.1 A Brief History of Borders ......................................................................................... 27 2.2 The Literature of Border Studies: From Imperialism to Social Construction ............... 30 2.3 The Literature of Paradiplomacy: The Perforation of Borders..................................... 36 2.4 Maritime Borders: The Law of the Sea ....................................................................... 39 2.4.1 The Exclusive Economic Zone ............................................................................... 47 2.5 Boundaries and Borders in a Globalizing World ..........................................................