Why the Black Sea Is a Geopolitical Gray Zone
05/10/23 • 26 min
The Black Sea is geopolitically significant as both a theater of trade and a theater of war. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shifted the traditional balance between Moscow and Ankara in the region and has led to an increased NATO presence there. Can the EU leverage its economic and foreign policy tools to expand its influence in the Black Sea?
Thomas de Waal, a senior fellow with Carnegie Europe, and Dimitar Bechev, a visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe, discuss why the Black Sea is once again at the center of world events and what the future holds for the region.
[00:00:00] Intro, [00:01:50] The Black Sea Today, [00:07:45] The Russian-Turkish Cohabitation [00.17.58] What Future for the Black Sea Region.
Neal Ascherson, "Black Sea," Hill and Wang, Cambridge University Press, 1995
Dimitar Bechev, February 28, 2023, “Sailing Through the Storm: Türkiye’s Black Sea Strategy Amidst the Russian-Ukrainian War,” European Union Institute for Security Studies.
Dimitar Bechev, February 27, 2023, “Facing tragedy, Turkey mends ties with Greece and Armenia,” Al Jazeera.
Dimitar Bechev, April 13, 2022, “Russia, Turkey and the Spectre of Regional Instability,” Al Sharq Strategic Research.
Dimitar Bechev, March 30, 2022, “Turkey’s Response to the War in Ukraine,” Maple Institute.
Thomas de Waal, July 07, 2022, “How Georgia Stumbled on the Road to Europe,” Foreign Policy.
Thomas de Waal, June 09, 2022, “Georgia, Europe’s Problem Child,” Carnegie Europe.
Thomas de Waal, May 10, 2022, “A Fragile Stability in Moldova,” Carnegie Europe.
Thomas de Waal, March 03, 2022, “Darkness Looms Over Ukraine’s Neighborhood,” Carnegie Europe.
Charles King, "The Black Sea: A History," Oxford University Press, 2005.
The Black Sea is geopolitically significant as both a theater of trade and a theater of war. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shifted the traditional balance between Moscow and Ankara in the region and has led to an increased NATO presence there. Can the EU leverage its economic and foreign policy tools to expand its influence in the Black Sea?
Thomas de Waal, a senior fellow with Carnegie Europe, and Dimitar Bechev, a visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe, discuss why the Black Sea is once again at the center of world events and what the future holds for the region.
[00:00:00] Intro, [00:01:50] The Black Sea Today, [00:07:45] The Russian-Turkish Cohabitation [00.17.58] What Future for the Black Sea Region.
Neal Ascherson, "Black Sea," Hill and Wang, Cambridge University Press, 1995
Dimitar Bechev, February 28, 2023, “Sailing Through the Storm: Türkiye’s Black Sea Strategy Amidst the Russian-Ukrainian War,” European Union Institute for Security Studies.
Dimitar Bechev, February 27, 2023, “Facing tragedy, Turkey mends ties with Greece and Armenia,” Al Jazeera.
Dimitar Bechev, April 13, 2022, “Russia, Turkey and the Spectre of Regional Instability,” Al Sharq Strategic Research.
Dimitar Bechev, March 30, 2022, “Turkey’s Response to the War in Ukraine,” Maple Institute.
Thomas de Waal, July 07, 2022, “How Georgia Stumbled on the Road to Europe,” Foreign Policy.
Thomas de Waal, June 09, 2022, “Georgia, Europe’s Problem Child,” Carnegie Europe.
Thomas de Waal, May 10, 2022, “A Fragile Stability in Moldova,” Carnegie Europe.
Thomas de Waal, March 03, 2022, “Darkness Looms Over Ukraine’s Neighborhood,” Carnegie Europe.
Charles King, "The Black Sea: A History," Oxford University Press, 2005.
Previous Episode
Why Europe’s Iran Policy Warrants a Rethink
Iranians are revolting against a regime built on the systematic oppression of women, marginalized groups, and civil society. Against this background, as well as Tehran’s ties with authoritarian powers and the risk of escalating the nuclear file, the EU must reorient its approach by placing human rights and security at the center of its policy. Only then can it play a greater role in ensuring a brighter future for all Iranians and securing nuclear non-proliferation.
Cornelius Adebahr, a nonresident fellow at Carnegie Europe, and Barbara Mittelhammer, a political analyst and consultant, discuss how the feminist nature of the protests can transform the country and lead to a re-think of the EU’s relations with Tehran.
[00:00:00] Intro, [00:01:46] Iran in Present Day, [00:10:06] 30 years of EU Engagement with Iran, [00:15:38] A New Approach Toward Iran.
Cornelius Adebahr and Barbara Mittelhammer, March 31, 2023, “Half a year of feminist revolt in Iran,” Delegation of Die LINKE in the European Parliament.
Cornelius Adebahr and Barbara Mittelhammer, December 5, 2022, “Sketching a Feminist EU Response to the Revolt in Iran,” Carnegie Europe.
Cornelius Adebahr, January 17, 2023, “Europe Needs a New Iran Strategy,” Carnegie Europe.
Cornelius Adebahr, September 8, 2021, “Looking Beyond Iran to the Persian Gulf,” German Council on Foreign Relations.
Cornelius Adebahr and Olivia Lazard, July 7, 2023, “How the EU Can Help Iran Tackle Water Scarcity,”, Carnegie Europe.
Cornelius Adebahr, October 11, 2022, “Can Protests in Iran Topple the Regime?,” Carnegie Europe.
Cornelius Adebahr et al., January 20, 2022, “How the Transatlantic Relationship Has Evolved, One Year Into the Biden Administration,” Carnegie Europe.
Cornelius Adebahr and Barbara Mittelhammer, January 2, 2023, “’Women, Life, Freedom’: A German feminist foreign policy towards Iran,” Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung.
Cornelius Adebahr, March 21, 2023, “What Germany’s turning point means for its feminist foreign policy,” Politico.
Next Episode
How Europe Can Navigate Global Disorder
Marked by regional struggles for hegemony and intense U.S.-China rivalry, the world order is headed toward a messy multipolarity where Europe has yet to find its place.
Rosa Balfour, director of Carnegie Europe, and Stefan Lehne, senior fellow Carnegie Europe, sit down to unpack the trends in the emerging international system and assess the EU’s role within it.
[00:00:00] Intro, [00:01:31] The Changing Global Order, [00:12:15] Power Shifts Within the EU, [00:21:23] Europe’s Future Political Challenges.
Stefan Lehne, April 24, 2023, “The Comeback of the European Commission,” Carnegie Europe.
Stefan Lehne, February 28, 2023, “After Russia’s War Against Ukraine: What Kind of World Order?,” Carnegie Europe
Rosa Balfour, February 9, 2023, “The EU Must Reconcile Geopolitics and Democracy,” Carnegie Europe.
Stefan Lehne, October 18, 2022, “The EU and the Creative and Destructive Impact of Crises,” Carnegie Europe.
Rosa Balfour, Lizza Bomassi, and Marta Martinelli, June 29, 2022 “The Southern Mirror: Reflections on Europe from the Global South,” Carnegie Europe.
Rosa Balfour, May 5, 2022, “Reckoned with: asserting Europe’s distinctive power in a multipolar world,” Académie Royal de Belgique.
Stefan Lehne, April 14, 2022, “Making EU Foreign Policy Fit for a Geopolitical World,” Carnegie Europe.
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