Can Turkey and Ukraine Counter Russia in the Black Sea?
Once almost equally divided between littoral states, the annexation of Crimea tipped the balance of military power in the Black Sea in favor of Russia.
The loss of Iran in 1979 cost the United States a strategic foothold in the Middle East, a loss it never recovered from. Losing a NATO ally that borders the Black Sea, Aegean Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Balkans, Caucasus, Iran, Iraq, and Syria—would be tantamount to serving all these strategic regions on a silver plate to Russia.
It is a luxury Washington cannot afford.
Harun Karčić is a journalist and political analyst based in Sarajevo covering foreign influences in the Balkans. He tweets @HarunKarcic
Image: Reuters.