The Security Context in the Black Sea Region by Dimitrios Triantaphyllou

Author:Dimitrios Triantaphyllou [Triantaphyllou, Dimitrios]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781317966197
Barnesnoble:
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Published: 2013-10-18T00:00:00+00:00

The attempt to develop a broader regional strategy toward the wider Black Sea area, however, has faced a number of serious obstacles:

The diversity of the region. The countries in the wider Black Sea area lack a strong sense of regional identity. The only recent unifying factor for most of the countries in the region in modern times has been Russian – and later, Soviet – rule. (Turkey, which was not under Russian or Soviet rule, is an exception.) However, the legacy of Soviet autocratic rule and economic centralization left the countries of the region poorly prepared for the transition to democracy and the development of a market economy.

Historical animosities and ethnic conflicts. The region is plagued by a number of deep-seated historical animosities, border disputes and ‘frozen conflicts’ (Matveeva 2008, 177–223). These include the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno–Karabakh, the Transnistria dispute in Moldova, and the separatist movements in Abkhazia and South Ossetia in Georgia. These conflicts are a major source of instability and an important obstacle to regional cooperation.

Lack of strong regional institutions. The region lacks strong regional institutions that can promote regional cooperation and mitigate conflict. Efforts have been made to promote closer regional cooperation such as establishment of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) organization. Launched by the late Turkish President Turgut Özal in 1989, BSEC is designed to promote private sector activity and stimulate the free movement of goods and services among member states.1 However, the organization lacks strong mechanisms for policy coordination and strong, effective leadership. It is also not equipped to address security issues.

Western ambivalence as to whether the countries of the region are part of Europe. The countries of the Black Sea region aspire to closer ties to – and in many cases, actual membership in – Euro-Atlantic institutions, particularly the EU and NATO. However, many European states have reservations about whether countries like Georgia and Ukraine – not to mention Azerbaijan, with its Muslim population and historical and cultural ties to Iran – are really part of Europe and European culture. This Western ambivalence about the ‘Europeanness’ of the countries in the region (including Turkey) is an important obstacle to promoting closer cooperation and ties to Western institutions.

Strategic rivalries and ambitions. US efforts to develop a coherent regional strategy have also been hindered by the political rivalries and strategic ambitions of various Black Sea states. This is particularly true in the case of Russia, which regards the Black Sea region as part of its historical sphere of influence and has resisted Western – especially US – efforts to expand its influence in the region. But it also is true of Turkey, which has long-standing strategic interests in the region and has tended to regard the Black Sea as a ‘Turkish lake’. For different reasons, both Russia and Turkey oppose the expansion of NATO into the Black Sea. Bulgaria, Romania and Georgia, on the other hand, have seen their security interests much more closely aligned with US interests and have supported a broader role for NATO in the Black Sea.

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