Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

The Black Sea and the Turkish Straits: Resurgent Strategic Importance in the 21st Century

Hascher, Andrew Michael
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1574428754309163

Abstract Details

2019, Master of Arts, Ohio State University, Slavic and East European Studies.
The Black Sea and the Turkish Straits have played an important geopolitical role in the world since the time of antiquity, despite the Black Sea being a geographically closed body of water. The objective of this paper is to articulate the importance of the Black Sea region as a source of geopolitical power, both historically and moving into the future. Of particular importance are the power dynamics between the Russian Federation, Turkey and the West. This paper reviews the history of the region and the major treaties over time which attempted to answer the “Straits Question” of access to and from the Black Sea via the Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits. Then analysis of the current geopolitical situation and a projection for the future of the region is offered based on the research. Analysis of the history and diplomacy of the area shows that the major actors continue to place a great deal of strategic importance on their territorial claims, military position and economic standing in the Black Sea region. The evidence shows that the Russians place an enormous level of importance on the Black Sea as it holds their only viable warm water ports. Furthermore, they have a long history of breaking regional treaties in what seem to be repeated attempts to renegotiate and improve their Black Sea presence. Turkey has their own ambitions in the region but are not presently in a position to challenge Russia, or the diplomatic status quo. Trends over time suggest that this may change in the coming years if the Turks are able to complete their canal project near Istanbul. An understanding of the regional history is important for policy makers when considering future treaties and setting strategic direction for diplomatic, military and economic operations in the region.
Angela Brintlinger (Advisor)
Yana Hashamova (Committee Member)
Rudolph Hightower (Committee Member)
76 p.
East European Studies; International Relations; Slavic Studies

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Hascher, A. M. (2019). The Black Sea and the Turkish Straits: Resurgent Strategic Importance in the 21st Century [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1574428754309163

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Hascher, Andrew. The Black Sea and the Turkish Straits: Resurgent Strategic Importance in the 21st Century. 2019. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1574428754309163.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Hascher, Andrew. "The Black Sea and the Turkish Straits: Resurgent Strategic Importance in the 21st Century." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1574428754309163

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1574428754309163
2,362
© 2019, some rights reserved.Creative Commons License The Black Sea and the Turkish Straits: Resurgent Strategic Importance in the 21st Century by Andrew Michael Hascher is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at etd.ohiolink.edu.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.