Securitization in the Black Sea Region

Alex Tanchev: Securitization in the Black Sea Region, AIES Studies, Nr. 11, März 2020

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30.03.2020

The Black Sea Region – an area characterized by over-securitization and intense power competition – shows us that multiple levels of analysis are needed to adequately account for the characteristics demonstrated by geopolitical actors’ foreign policy doctrines. In an increasingly complex world with the capacity for mutual nuclear destruction, regional and international geopolitical players must go beyond the classical doctrines of realism and use more non-materialistic concepts like identity, culture and trust. Securitization theory, then, provides a flexible framework that allows aspects from different theoretical schools to be combined in order to reflect on empirical examples. It also shows that countries do not become enemies at the flip of a switch – there are historical antagonisms at play and single incidents have to be distinguished from persistent security threats.