Verschiedentlich wurde auf die geopolitische Bedeutung des Schwarzen Meeres verwiesen, die auch der Grund dafür ist, dass die NATO darüber nachdenkt, dort eine permanente Militärpräsenz zu installieren (siehe IMI-Aktuell 2016/389). Auch das Foreign Policy Research Institute (via Bpb-Newsletter) schreibt: „Rarely has a region figured so prominently in American foreign policy without our even realizing it. We treat Turkey as separate from Ukraine, Romania as wholly distinct from Georgia, and Russia as an aggressive ‚lone wolf‘ in the region. These are different countries, of course, with diverse historical traditions and political structures. But from security to energy to the future of Europe, the Black Sea operates as a united region far more than Americans usually realize. We underestimate regional connections and fail to understand the linkages that drive regional politics.“ (jw)