Challenges and opportunities for establishing a security community in the wider Black Sea area

Abstract

The establishment and maintenance of various regional intergovernmental organizations in the wider Black Sea area and the incremental growth of the political and economic rapprochement between Turkey and Russia suggest that dependable expectations of peaceful change have developed. However, the security situation remains complex, as deep-rooted security and highly localized military conflicts in the region both constitute major challenges to establishing the basic phase of a security community. The region escapes ready classification as a nascent, ascendant, and mature security community. This paper investigates pluralistic security communities in the region through personal communication, official documents, and personal observation.