After the last two waves of NATO enlargement that brought Central and East European countries into the alliance, the Black Sea region now links NATO to the Middle East, Central Asia, and Russia. NATO's new neighborhood brings with it new challenges, such as terrorism, trafficking, and organized crime. The region has substantial implications for the traditional military aspects of European security, and equally has an effect upon important areas of energy security and soft security challenges.
The Black Sea region provides an important energy route for Europe, making it a tough arena for competing political powers and economic interests. While the European Union is struggling to create a common strategy to secure energy from sources other than Russia, some of its member states have already agreed to host pipelines that would bring Russian gas to European markets. At the same time, the NATO-Russia relationship is again being tested, as Russia perceives Ukraine's and Georgia's stated interests in becoming NATO members to be a serious threat. NATO's challenge now is to define policies that maintain good economic relations between its members and its oil-producing neighbors while continuing to provide security for its member states.
Is energy versus security the issue?
Considering the energy security issues facing Europe and NATO that directly involve the Black Sea region, how can Ukraine's and Georgia's NATO drives be sustained?