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Accession Number:
AD1105251
Title:
The Bulgarian Membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Its Impact on Bulgarian Interests in the Black Sea Region
Descriptive Note:
Technical Report,01 Aug 2018,30 Jun 2019
Corporate Author:
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College Fort Leavenworth United States
Report Date:
2019-06-14
Pagination or Media Count:
123.0
Abstract:
NATO enlargement eastward to the Black Sea was made possible after the fall of the Iron Curtain by gradually increasing geopolitical interest of the countries in the region and was achieved despite Russian opposition. It considers that the alliance is dangerously close to its borders in the East resulting in political and military challenges. One of the biggest factors contributing to these challenges is the re-emergence of Russian aggressiveness, increasingly willing to challenge NATO in order to expand its dominance and return the states of the near abroad back to its sphere of influence. This aggressiveness has been proved two times with the invasion of Georgia in 2008 and the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014. Since the annexation of Crimea, the relations between NATO and Russia have seriously deteriorated as both sides continued to build up their military in the Black Sea region. As a consequence, the region is more militarized and unstable than at any point since the end of Cold War, perhaps since the late 1940s. This has led to unpredictable and potentially high-risk environment, presenting not only new security challenges, but also elevating the risk of the disruption of trade and energy routes in the region as well as affecting the economic cooperation and tourism in the area. This study examines what are Bulgarian interests and the threats to them in the Black Sea region. Moreover, the project emphasizes on the Bulgarias cooperation with NATO in the region and the ramifications of it on Bulgarian interests in the area.
Distribution Statement:
APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE
