Caspian Report - Issue 06 - Winter 2014

MESUT HAKKI CAŞIN
122
Black Sea Harmony and Blackseafor
military exercises with coastal states
in order to cooperatively promote security
and stability in the Black Sea
maritime region, strengthen friendship
and good neighborly relations.
RUSSIA USED HIS BLACK SEA FLEET IN 2008 GEORGIA
WAR THAT BOMBARDED GEORGIAN PORTS, AND
DESTROYED AS MANY AS EIGHT SHIPS IN THE PORT OF
POTI.
Contrary to the Yeltsin administration’s
role in the region, Russia under
Vladimir Putin has emerged as
an increasingly significant player in
the Mediterranean region. Since the
dissolution of the Soviet Union, the
US has deployed additional military
forces in the Middle East after 1991
Gulf War and following the Iraq invasion
of 2003. In terms of naval military
capabilities, Obama administration
has focused on 2011 Libya operation,
gunboat diplomacy in the Iran Gulf
and finally in 2013 Syrian chemical
weapons crisis. In the theoretical perspective,
Waltz’s idea of international
politics, the anarchy of the international
system means that its units can
rely on no one for their security and
continued existence. The fundamental
incentive is consequently self-help:
trust no one and fend for yourself.
The security of any given unit will be
at risk if the power of the other units
in the system increases. We must remember
that these assertive developments
spread out to Caucasus and
Black Sea. Russia used his Black Sea
Fleet in 2008 Georgia War that bombarded
Georgian ports, and destroyed
as many as eight ships in the port of
Poti. Georgian successes in shooting
down up to five Russian aircraft
(possibly including one Tupolev-22
Backfire reconnaissance aircraft, and
three Sukhoi Su-25 Frogfoot and one
Su-27 Flanker fighters) may in part
have been attributable to the use of
SA-5 surface to-air missiles. Moscow
believed that such equipment could
only have been supplied by Ukraine-
Russia being the only other nation
possessing such equipment. The actions
of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet effectively
drew Ukraine into the conflict.
Regarding these issues we have to
focus on some academic arguments,
such as: Why Russia decided to establish
a new Mediterranean Naval
fleet How big will the new fleet be
showing Russian flag in Mediterranean
waters Will Russia create a
new sea power capacity reflecting a
Cold War rivalry with Pentagon Will
Russia aim at making new surprise
offers such as Cyprus in exchange for
an army base or Syria bases Does
Russia intend to create Mediterranean
fleet in order to protect Syria
against possible Western military
intervention Considering NATO naval
power and US 6th Mediterranean
fleet, is this power enough for Russia
to increase the combined military capabilities
to permit making certain
strategic decisions
Just at this critical point, Sergei Karaganov
argued that “not so long ago
Russia was almost a failed state. Now
it is one of the world’s three big powers
again.” ‘Yes, we can say that Russia
is back. President Vladimir Putin
wants the world to acknowledge that
Russia remains as a global power. Recently
he is making his stand in Syria.
“Russia is returning to the Arab world
because the Arab states are asking
us to. They want someone to rely on