In quest of governance: the failures of regionalism, a pan-European security architecture and ‘bigemony’ in Black Sea Politics

Abstract

The paper assesses Black Sea politics through the lens of regionalism as the path to a security community, the effects of an outdated and dysfunctional pan-European security architecture, and the shared hegemonic potential of Russia and Turkey in the region. Drawing from diverse strands of literature, the paper critically discusses integrative schemes and their circumscribed successes amidst a volatile pan-European security order and the poor prospects for ‘bigemony’, or shared hegemony, in the Black Sea region. It concludes that none of the following regional governance options, regionalism, or embeddedness in an integrated pan-European security or Russo-Turkish hegemony, has materialized. The paper also underlines the importance of the linkages between the Black Sea area and unfolding Middle Eastern politics for the evolution and study of Black Sea politics.

Keywords:

• Regionalism
• Black Sea region
• Turkey
• hegemony
• security