http://ll-c.ooyala.com/e1/R5ZHRxYjE6nxmjZ0h7fg3M1v1AU9w0oI/promo322956459

Efthymiopoulos MARIOS-PANAGIOTIS, PhD*

Abstract. A ”real Game of Thrones” is being developed across a ”rhombus region”. It includes countries of strategic and geopolitical importance with diverse interests. This paper establishes a geometric rhombus area, which this article considers as approximate to fictional portrayals of ”Middle Earth”. It extends from Ukraine and the Black Sea to the East Mediterranean region between the Middle East to Mesopotamia (Iraq), to the Arab Peninsula and Yemen, to the Central and North Africa Region and back to the Black Sea, the South of Ukraine to the Sea of Azov. The current crisis in Ukraine, Iraq, Syria and Yemen may be a starting point for consecutive areas of instability. The international community needs to react to this challenge. The reaction should be robust. It should follow clear operational and tactical methods. The article explains the changing balance of power and the emergence of new global potential powers that together countenance for a series of emerging threats.

Key words: Game of Thrones, Strategy, Security, Geopolitics, Operations, Balance of Power, Ukraine, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Challenges, Threats, Power Projection, Efficacy

* American University in the Emirates, Assistant Professor of Strategy and Security Studies, Program Coordinator of the MA in Strategy and Security