Strategic insights: The Black Sea, then and now

The Napoleonic Quarterly

Rachel Blackman-Rogers is joined by contemporary Black Sea maritime scholar Prof Deborah Sanders of Kings College London to discuss the history and evolution of Black Sea Navies, the historical significance of the Black Sea itself, and the Black Sea's current importance in Russia's war with Ukraine.

[01:00] - to what extent has the Black Sea been a centre of great power competition?

[08:50] - given the vital role of the Bosphorus/Turkish Straits in giving Russia access to the Levant, did Turkey and Russia see the Black Sea in the same way?

[11:50] - what difference did the Montreaux Convention of 1926 make to maritime power in the region? what difference will President Erdogan's plans for a canal make?

[17:40] - how did Russia leasing Sevastopol in the post-Soviet era impact the development of the Ukrainian Navy?

[22:00] - how much has Putin deliberately targeted littoral states in his 21st century to help build his ability to project naval power?

[25:00] - what are the main maritime issues in the Black Sea since Russia's invasion of Ukraine?

[28:00] - China's role in the Black Sea: its Belt and Road initiative, and its role in rebuilding Ukraine

[34:30] - does the Black Sea grain initiative suggest the Black Sea could in the future be more like the Arctic, with a higher degree of international cooperation?

[39:00] - how does NATO better support its partners in the Black Sea?

[41:00] - do unmanned surface vehicles undermine the value of Navies, and is the Black Sea an incubator for a new type of warfare?

[48:00] - what does Russia's invasion of Ukraine teach us about the strategic relationship between land and sea?