At the end of this week will be the official laying of the pipeline “Turkish stream”. This project aims to transfer Russian natural gas to Europe via Turkey under the Black sea… But we can’t take into account the “Turkish stream” only as an energy project. It should be read in conjunction with the southern gas corridor project, which also will pass through Turkey.
Ensuring access to oil and natural gas to Europe, energy supply, control of energy routes, as well as the financial well-being that will arise, at the same time implies a position of political dominance. For those who will be able to sell energy and turn them into capital, will acquire not only economic but also political power, and in this regard will determine the political structure of these energy regions. A large part of the political history of the region the last two centuries is the story of the capture, redistribution of the energy bands and energy trade.
The Euro-Atlantic axis
Europe’s energy security and uninterrupted power supply in the desired quantity at the right price is not only the most important parameter of political and economic security of Europe. At the same time the problem of transatlantic security and the United States.
Zbigniew Brzezinski, one of the most important strategists of the American state, who died last month, determined the enlargement of Europe as a process of expanding the transatlantic security system. And when we pay attention to the stage of EU enlargement, we can see that clearly. The EU enlargement process in recognition of the sovereignty of States since the beginning of 90-ies was accompanied by sections of countries, their reduction, satellitecity. This happened under the leadership of Germany, but with the approval of the United States within the transatlantic security system. The disintegration of Yugoslavia Brzezinski has defined as the “Balkanization” and predicted a similar process in the region, which he called “the Eurasian Balkans”. In the book “the Grand chessboard” Brzezinski openly writes that in Europe the word “Balkans” is associated with ethnic conflict and competition powers in this region and in this sense Eurasia, too, has its “Balkans”.
© AP Photo, TasnadiАмериканский political scientist Zbigniew Brzezinski. 11 may 1979
Brzezinski, the Eurasian Balkans is in the form of a quadrangle and includes the South-Eastern Europe, Central Asia, South Asia, the Persian Gulf and the middle East. In other words, all regions where there are large reserves of energy resources, the Caspian sea, Iraq, Iran, the basin of the Eastern Mediterranean and also Turkey, Egypt and the North of Kazakhstan will form the Eurasian Balkans.
This book Brzezinski wrote in 1996-1997, when Europe ended the “Balkanization” of Yugoslavia disintegrated.
The abstracts contained in this book, still constitute the paradigm of transatlantic security, the Pentagon, and all the strategies — coups, civil wars, coup attempts and connected with all these diplomacy are based on this paradigm. But back to the book. Brzezinski is a map that highlights “the main core of European security”. It largely sheds light on what is happening today.
This map starts from the border of Spain and France, including France and Germany, Poland, Ukraine reaches Russia. Interesting story associated with these boundaries. Hitler, using these boundaries, had planned to invade Russia through Poland. In addition, this map also covers the Northern trade routes from Asia Pacific to Europe.
© South Stream Transport B. V. Marine pipeline “Turkish stream”
Now let us turn to what is happening now. Russia through the project “Turkish stream” reaches Europe, bypassing Ukraine, through Turkey, while Turkey and Russia along the Atlantic axis bypass “security”. On the other hand, the southern gas corridor, the skeleton of which forms the project of TRANS-Anatolian gas pipeline (TANAP), provides access to resources of the Caspian sea to Europe through Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. But that’s not all. The southern gas corridor — the only path that will ensure the sale of resources of Iran, Eastern Mediterranean, and resources, which found Israel in the Eastern Mediterranean. In other words, the two energy route “Turkish stream” and the southern gas corridor, bypass to the North of the “main core” of Euro-Atlantic security, and to the South of the country that could easily become a satellite of the West (like Egypt) or are satellization by destabilization (Iraq).
In this case, throughout the region (including Turkey) can be no shortage of civil wars, coup attempts. New version 15 July 2016, a new quest like “Gezi” will always be on the agenda. Because on TRANS-Atlantic security system (read — direct exploitation) in Europe and Eurasia looms a danger from the point of view of the United States. Moreover, if you add the project of China’s “one belt, one road”, it also puts an end to the hegemony of trade order and trade routes of the Atlantic side.
In these circumstances, how could this region not to collide with sinister and gloomy scenarios? Of course not. But the answer to all these will give the nation the region that will protect its own resources, establishing their own policy.
Of course, the “Turkish stream” tab, which will take place at the end of this week, is an important response.
After this story, I guess we know who put the “leader” of the so-called main opposition party (!) in March, isn’t it?
