A valuable book-a landmark in International Relations-was released by ELISME with the above title.
Epigrammatically, since a detailed listing of the articles cited in the book would be a disincentive for anyone to acquire and study it, I will try to give an overview of what the eminent scientists who wrote it deal with in the order in which they appear.
After the important greeting of the President of ELISME General Ioannis Baltzoi, General Konstantinos Argyropoulos made an equally important introduction, who, among other things, points out that "The differences in the Black Sea region are mainly focused on basic elements (socio-political constants) to be adopted, admission or rejection by third parties, the political, legal, religious, educational - and why not family - organization, and the fact of the existence in the area of Christians (Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, Unitarian) Muslims and on a small scale of other cultures, makes the area inherently complicated. He focuses his attention on Turkey's revisionist policy.
Then General Lambros Tzoumis, recalling Lord Hastings' definition of NATO that "Its purpose is to keep the Americans in, the Russians out and the Germans down", makes an impressive reference to the post-war Soviet Union, the pros and cons of enlargement of NATO, the Russian reaction to the mistakes of the West in the 1990s and the related Agreements with the subsequent attitude of the West, the involvement of Ukraine, the fatal outcome, pointing out, with documented sources of Western scholars, that "The US and its European Allies they share most of the blame for the Russia-Ukraine crisis," and "At the root of the problem is NATO enlargement, the centerpiece of a broader strategy to remove Ukraine from Russia's orbit and integrate it into the West" .
Georgios Doudoumis, Economist, Economic Diplomat and author, makes a brief historical review of the Balkans, focusing his attention on the economic problems they face as well as the existing geopolitical balance, the role, in particular, of Serbia and Kosovo, the role of NATO and EU, underlining, commendably, the importance and value of creating a cooperation scheme between Greece and Balkan countries to deal with immigration and demographic problems.
Ambassador Alexandros Katranis headlined "WHAT RUSSIA WANTS-Imperialism or phobic syndrome", quotes Churchill's statement “I cannot offer you a prediction of Russia's actions. It's a mystery entwined with a mystery at the heart of an enigma, but maybe there's a key. This key is Russia's national interest." It briefly addresses the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the West's stance and provides an important historical review of Russia's politics and Russian worldview and insecurity, Western penetration, NATO's role and enlargement, and pressure on Russia. (Clash of Civilizations") concluding that "The West must recognize that Russia faces perennial problems of territorial security. History proves that European balance of power is not possible without Russia…”
The President of ELISME, General Ioannis Baltzoi, makes a deep and well-documented analysis and assessment of US and NATO international policy focusing on the Russian-Ukrainian war and its political, strategic, economic and cultural implications, the geostrategic perceptions of the West and its inconsistency regarding the previous Agreements for the non-expansion of NATO, and it refers to the "prophetic" words of Dr. Ilias Iliopoulos about the above war conflict as well as the relevant opinions of distinguished American personalities, and finally about the attitude of China.
Finally, EKPA Lecturer Markos Troulis, specialized in Turkish and Asian Studies, refers to the geopolitical value of the Caucasus and the economic developments in the wider region, and especially the role of Turkey. He also refers to Russia-Armenia-Azerbaijan relations, the legacy of the classic geopolitics of the Cold War period, underlining that "Influence in the Caucasus is one of the main reasons why Russia and Turkey are characterized as intrinsically competitive geostrategic powers".
They deserve a lot of credit to ELISME which is always victorious in the First Line of the national offer and with its valuable publications!
