(Re)Defining Priorities in the Black Sea and the Caucasus
The crisis over South Ossetia in August 2008 and the ensuing series of events is symptomatic of a changing global environment where the tectonic plates holding it together are undergoing readjustment. With regard to the wider Black Sea area some conclusions are relatively easy to be made: 1. The ‘frozen’ conflicts are not frozen. This development was in evidence before the 5-day war although now it is a foregone conclusion. 2. Key regional stakeholders such as Russia and Turkey find themselves in the midst of major policy reappraisal. 3. Other regional actors such as the Caucasian States, Ukraine, and Moldova are hereby (re)evaluating this relationship within their neighbourhood. 4. EU regional stakeholders such as Greece, Romania and Bulgaria have come to the conclusion that they need to work together and with their other 24 EU partners not only in the sphere of CFSP and ESDP by enhancing the Union’s tools conflict prevention, conflict resolution and rehabilitation tools, but in assur