Security Triangle in the Black Sea Region_US_Turkey_Russia_Panorama 2017-2018_Gaber.pdf (original) (raw)
Related papers
Security In the Black Sea Region
Policy Report II presented by the …, 2010
Regional tensions, natural resources and geopolitical rivalries make the Black Sea region a strategic but sensitive area. In the absence of cooperative structures able to contain conflict, security threats ranging from interstate conflicts to illegal trafficking have emerged. The region is politically, historically and geographically divided. Today, three principal actors influence security policy options. Russia fears encirclement by the West, and thus works to counteract EU and US influence in the region. It seeks to maintain its own role as the key regional actor, and to block externally driven energy projects or military alliances. It wants to prevent NATO enlargement, as well as to suppress fundamentalist movements. The US and the EU have varying but complementary goals. US policymakers have focused on promoting democracy and the market economy, and have prioritised energy issues and free trade expansion. Local states’ bilateral US ties and the prospect of NATO expansion have aggravated tensions with Russia. However, the Russia-Georgia war severely damaged US credibility in the region. Eastern enlargement has increased EU interest and activity in the region. The EU has sought various policy and economic reforms, and has served a conflict mediation role, but its regional security impact is limited. Black Sea countries themselves have diverse approaches to security. The tension driven by nonregional actors is a serious concern, and produces a variety of responses. For instance, Turkey has pushed for a region-wide security initiative, possibly setting the stage for normalisation of Russia’s role. Threats to regional security are diverse, including ongoing and potential military conflicts between states, frozen conflicts, displaced populations and terrorism. Some weaker states are at risk of failing. Military expenditures are rising, and issues of energy dependency and supply diversity are vital. The lack of cooperation has created a “security vacuum” exacerbating global and regional rivalries. Despite EU and US promotion of democracy and the rule of law, authoritarian governing styles are common across the region. This environment demands a dramatically more cooperative approach. Policies and institutions emphasizing competition should be discarded, while international organisations should promote regional trust. Conflict resolution processes must include all involved parties, and monitoring of military expenditures and conflict zones should be intensified. Energy should be treated as a cooperative rather than competitive venture. EU programs should be more inclusive, and Russia in particular should be drawn into a broader network of security cooperation.
SECURITY, STABILITY AND COOPERATION IN THE WIDER BLACK SEA REGION (ed. Turgut Kerem Tuncel)
The conference book titled “Security, Stability and Cooperation in the Wider Black Sea Region” is based on the proceedings of the international conference jointly organized by Center for Eurasian Studies (AVİM) and Konrad Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) on 4 December 2017 with the same title. “Security, Stability and Cooperation in the Wider Black Sea Region,” which was edited by AVİM Senior Analyst Dr. Turgut Kerem Tuncel, opens up with the forewords of Teimuraz Antelava (BSEC Legal Advisor), Sven-Joachim Irmer (Head of the KAS office Turkey), and Ambassador (R) Alev Kılıç (AVİM Director). These are followed by the introduction penned by Dr. Turgut Kerem Tuncel and twelve articles written by researchers and academics from the Wider Black Sea region countries who participated in the conference on 4 December 2017. We hope that “Security, Stability and Cooperation in the Wider Black Sea Region” will be a significant contribution for the scholarly community and the policy makers for acquiring expert views from the Wider Black Sea region.
Russia, NATO, and Black Sea Security Strategy: Regional Perspectives from a 2019 Workshop
2019
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2022
The policy paper is an outcome of collaborative research project about the Black Sea Security among scholars from Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Georgia. The paper depicts the views of local foreign policy communities in Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and Georgia about the future of the Black Sea region and a wider European security after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The three countries build an important part of the political, economic and transit ecosystems of the Black Sea area and can play a key role in the future organization of the European security order. The results of the study, based on extensive expert survey and interviews, indicate some differences among three countries but also potential for more synergies and cooperation in the Black Sea Area. The foreign and security policy experts from Ukraine, Georgia and Azerbaijan seem to have identical perceptions about main regional risks, threats and opportunities and indicate unequivocal support for establishing peaceful and cooperative order in the Black Sea area. The differences, on the other hand, are mostly related to preferences for future alliances and foreign policy tactics. While Ukrainian and Georgian foreign policy communities seem to be firmly proWestern and Russia-sceptic the expert community from Azerbaijan favors more balanced and less Western-centric foreign policy.
Black Sea Regional Security after 9/11
Blue Black Sea, 2013
The aim of this article is to provide a comparative analysis of the regional strategies of the U.S.A., which is the main “outside actor” involved in the local politics, and Turkey, which has recently positioned itself as a regional power. It will also be shown how the cooperation between these two forces can contribute to the creation of a stable and secure geopolitical situation in the so called Broader Black Sea region. While a number of problems in bilateral relations, stemming from the partners’ compatible positions in the region, generally decrease the effectiveness of their cooperation, in this article those spheres which possess the biggest potential for joint action will form the main focus of the study. At the same time, Turkish and American-specific visions and approaches will be given for each separate issue.
BLACK SEA REGION AND EUROPEAN SECURITY POLICY
It is obvious that the beginning of the 21st century is marked by many new challenges, problems and risks, which in addition to changing the ideas, concepts and practice of organized violence, lead to a deficit of ideas, methods and means of protection from it. The need to adapt available security systems, tools and practices is adopted in Europe as a response to a conscious public need rather than as a strategically planned action in a time of changes. This led to a spontaneous emergence of a common attempt to aggregate and structure the available security knowledge and to create a common stable conceptual basis for national security systems in countries not only in Europe. Moreover, the enlargement of the Union has opened up new horizons for the development of the countries and, at the same time, has changed the significance and scope of European security, where the demarcation line between external and internal security has become more and more difficult to be determined. The discussions about our country's contribution to strategic security in the Black Sea region as part of European security are in the context of the scientific search of ours science school.
Ukraine and New Security Paradigm for The Wider Black Sea Region
GLOBALIZATION AND BUSINESS , 2022
Russia’s second invasion of Ukraine initiated in February 2022 serves as a definitive break in the security of the wider Black Sea region. This article first explains the problem the region is currently facing and calls for a new concept to ensure the collective West’s more active presence in this geographic area. The strategy should also involve measures to contain a more aggressive Russia. It will be argued that Russia is unlikely to abstain from further destabilizing the Black Sea region and will use more coercive methods to preserve its dominant position. The article begins with elaborating the idea of the Black Sea not as a space of competition, but as a space of economic cooperation. The Black Sea has not always been a region of economic and military divisions, but quite often served an interconnector of several intersecting regions with different cultures and economic models. The article then, drawing upon this short historical analysis, pays special attention to Turkey’s changing position and presents a set of political moves the West can pursue to improve its rather weakened position in the wider Black Sea region.