Malta is a tiny group of islands bang in the middle of a historically chequered Mediterranean Sea. It had no choice as to its location, but actually lies at the crossroads of powerful trade routes that have for many years represented lucrative bounty for anyone who sets his sights upon them.
As a result of this important geographical position, Malta has often been at the centre of a turbulent region riven by manifold interests not least economic, religious and political – a mishmash of intrigue, design and often controversial decisions, the consequences of which have produced, for our country and its immediate neighbours, a vivid history that spans across millennia.
Yet it is clear that, in its wider historical context, for most of the time the Maltese have had little or no say in the actual goings-on of what would ultimately affect the nation both positively and negatively. In a sense, we have always been (and will probably remain) net receivers of whatever came our way – good or bad. This must have surely moulded the Maltese character that has, time and again, proved staunchly resilient, deeply resourceful, realistic and uncannily able to adapt to sometimes rapidly changing events both at home and abroad.
In particular, Malta’s strategic location has served as an invisible bridge not only for conquests but also as a lifeline between astoundingly differing cultures at its northern and southern ‘borders’. Very often, this dialogue between north and south has been both restless and unquestionably complex.
Malta’s voice only came of age with independence in 1964. Since the British finally left in 1979, Malta has continued to seek its true identity on the international stage, conditioned not only by its size and limitations but also by its unique location. This has been a slow and often arduous process! Our hard-fought membership of the European Union seven years ago must surely be the latest and maybe greatest achievement in terms of foreign relations since Independence Day.
Of course, a country’s location has both benefits and disadvantages. Malta has undoubtedly benefited from its position in terms of climate, language and trade. The islands’ location has for years brought commercial trade from around the world to its shores. Centuries of commerce have not only enriched us economically but have formed our habits, our language and experiences. All these have in turn helped to Malta the successful and sustainable export and services centre it is today. Whether we like it or not, our climate has probably been the single most determining factor that has made Malta’s tourist industry what it is today.
There are undoubtedly several disadvantages to being ‘stranded’ in the middle of the Mediterranean. First and foremost, we continue to be plagued by our sense of insularity. Although there is no doubt that Malta has never been as connected to the ‘outside world’ as it is today, we remain adamantly cavalier to events beyond our shores. A classic example must be the ongoing global financial crisis. While we quibble about mostly parochial matters, many of us remain indifferent to the events that surround us. I am not quite sure if all this is really and truly a defence mechanism to counter our actual fragile status of net receivers or maybe a surrealistic sense that can only be defined as insular mental restriction!
This insular mentality is further evidenced when tackling the issue of illegal migration. Here again, geography plays a key role. Our position in the centre of the Mediterranean leaves us exposed to migratory flows from the South with its attendant discomforts, risks and reasonable anxieties. This phenomenon is likely to continue to feed our sense of peripherality, which is hard to ignore.
More than ever, the Arab Spring uprisings, and particularly the bloody revolution in Libya, have clearly highlighted our sense of location in our region. Truly, our Administration was quick on its feet to recognise the risks, costs and benefits that have come along with the recent bloody events. Any inaction on our part would have been contemptible. Indeed, our geography is once again proving our destiny. Although it appears that much of the game to our south has been unravelled, there is much more yet to happen that will affect us in the fullness of time and we have yet to see how things will finally pan out. What lies in store will undoubtedly bring further changes to our country and our immediate neighbours. Clearly, Malta must remain vigilant and play its part with the attendant risks and costs. Only in this way can we remain relevant in the region and not become victims of our own geography.
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