Changing Naval Balances in the Eastern Mediterranean: Implications for Turkey

Abstract

This paper is aimed at providing an assesement of the growing Russian naval strength and assertiveness in the Eastern Mediterranean and its implications for Turkey's place in the regional naval power hierarchy after Moscow's direct involvement in the Syrian conflict in 2015. Although the main focus is on the Eastern Mediterranean the region obviously cannot be decoupled from the Black Sea and to some extent from the Aegean. Therefore this paper argues that the naval power hierarchy in these three regions have both historically influenced and been influenced by developments in others.