The Nabucco Project Within the Context of Energy Supply Security and International Politics
The Nabucco Project is a project, which aims to transport rich natural gas resources of the Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Middle East to the European market via Turkey. In this study, the Nabucco Project was evaluated within context of the energy supply security concept and international politics. Firstly, interdependence between national power and energy supply security was investigated. How oil and natural gas became strategic raw materials of world politics beyond being primary energy resources of the global economy was examined. It was found that discovery of rich oil and natural gas resources in the Central Asia and the Caucasus after the Cold War turned the region into a focus of interest of the global and regional actors. In this connection, perspectives of the global and regional actors about the Nabucco Project were examined.As a result of analyses and evaluations, it was concluded that the Nabucco Project is a project that can significantly enhance Turkey’s geopolitical importance and make Turkey one of the key countries of the east-west energy corridor.
Geopolitics, (sub)regionalism, discourse and a troubled ‘power triangle’ in the Black Sea
Following the end of the Cold War, the Black Sea gradually began to undergo a process of region‐building, while simultaneously emerging as a key area in a new spiral of geopolitical competition. The purpose of this article is to analyse the interrelated terms of geopolitics, subregionalism and discourse by investigating the fundamental significance of the geography of the region, the ambiguous role of the hegemon(s), the performance of the various regional organizations, the value of history and identity, and the policies of the full‐fledged geopolitical subjects (United States, Russia, European Union). To this end, it uses various tools from different strands of thought in international relations, trying to apply what is known as analytical eclecticism.
Turkey’s Role in the Alliance of Civilizations: A New Perspective in Turkish Foreign Policy?
Abstract Since its foundation, Turkey’s foreign policymakers have declined to undertake any pioneering roles in global initiatives, such as assuming the position of the spokesperson of the Islamic world, on international platforms. Given this, the Alliance of Civilizations initiative presents not only a challenge to the traditional parameters of Turkish foreign policy but also a new perspective for Turkish foreign policy. This essay examines the roots of this change, the rise of the notion of the Alliance of Civilizations, and Turkey’s role in this initiative. It also analyzes the impact of Turkey’s role in the initiative on other foreign‐policy issues, such as European Union membership.