The Role of the Black Sea Region in NATO's Deterrence Strategy

The article examines the issue of conceptualizing policy goals and key challenges for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in the Black Sea area. It attempts to identify aspects of the shifting power balance, as well as mechanisms for implementing NATO strategy. It concludes that the inertia in perceiving the region as peripheral in terms of overall strategy continued until 2014, after which concerns about developments in the area prompted the transatlantic alliance to focus its efforts on deterring external threats. However, NATO lacks a coherent strategic vision for the Black Sea as part of its long-term overall strategy.