Continuities and Ruptures: Tracking the US Interests in the Black Sea Area in the Context of the ‘Pivot to Asia’

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the USA has become one of the main actors on the Black Sea stage. Whereas energy has been the key driver of Washington’s involvement in the region since the end of the 1990s, the US agenda has broadened to include security issues and democratization after the 9/11 attacks. Today, in the context of the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the ‘pivot to Asia’, the US influence in the Black Sea is retrenching. However, despite a seeming waning interest, Washington’s involvement in the region is likely to remain driven by energy security considerations as well as by the deployment of NATO’s Ballistic Missile Defense.