The geopolitical identity of the Black Sea and its role in the conditions of the new Cold War - the security dimension of the Black Sea Basin

Abstract

The beginning of the 80s of the last century, when the crisis of the Soviet Union was followed by its collapse, once again changed the vectors of the world order. If during the entire forty-five years of the "Cold War" confrontation, the West was considered the unconditional leader, and the Soviet Union, due to its own nuclear potential, created a counterweight to the USA in the East, since the late 1980s, Washington's alternative leadership and the complete collapse of the Soviet Union have emerged. The end of the confrontation between the West and the East resulted in a number of revolutionary changes, among which, first of all, the collapse of the USSR and the gaining independence by its former states should be noted. In the wake of the new or old "world order", a large number of historians believe that the world order of the 21st century is, in fact, a kind of continuation of the "Cold War". Interests between the former superpowers are often intersected today in the context of acute military conflicts in different regions of the world. At the same time, China, Turkey, Iran and oil-rich Middle Eastern countries are fighting for regional dominance. In the process of formation of the current world order, the Black Sea region is given one of the key values, which increases the interest of international actors towards the region. The processes taking place in the Black Sea region are a reflection of the global political vicissitudes of today’s world order.