Furthermore, the five sea basins surrounding the country, namely the Mediterranean, the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea are very important for Turkey. [...] These ideas are derived from the theories of Western European geopoliticians such as Friedrich Ratzel, Rudolf Kjellen, Halford John Mackinder and Karl Haushofer.16 In The History of the Peloponnesian War, Thucydides (generally thought of as the father of Realism) tells the story of the struggle between Athens and Sparta.17 In this ancient work, one can see the importance of naval power as it had a. [...] The relevant high schools and departments or faculties of universities should be established so that the youth is aware of the importance of the seas for economic and political development of the country. [...] Although the dispute with Greece over the Aegean dates back to the 1970s, the importance of the seas did not come to the forefront of debates within Turkish academic circles or in Turkish IR literature until the last couple of years. [...] In Turkish IR literature, strategic analyses are made about the Black Sea, examining aspects such as the geopolitical position of the Black Sea, the role and importance of the Black Sea in terms of Turkey’s regional and international security, and Turkey’s potential to become an important power within the Black Sea region as a coastal state.49 Likewise, studies on the Turkish Straits, which are lo.
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- 22
- Published in
- Turkey
