The Struggle for Power in Red Sea: Causes and Actors

Year 2019, Volume: 11 Issue: 2, 324 - 367, 30.12.2019

Göktürk Tüysüzoğlu

Abstract

The Red Sea, which connects the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean, is one of the most important waterways in the world. Likewise, the Suez Canal is a sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, is a very important geopolitical and geoeconomic location with its role in maritime trade and energy transportation. The security of and influence on the Bab-el Mendep Strait, located at the intersection of East Africa and the Middle East to the Indian Ocean, has drawn global and regional actors into a serious competition. The instability in Yemen and Somalia and the sea piracy attempts at the Indian Ocean are closely related to the geopolitical and geoeconomic importance of the Red Sea. In this context, foreign policy strategies of the countries in the region, relations with global and regional actors, and even domestic political developments in these countries are influenced by the Red Sea-oriented rivalry, which at the same time has an effect on the regional contention. Lately, the most important subject in the region is the military bases came into the possession of various global/regional actors. Therefore, it can be argued that these actors make every effort to obtain such bases in different regional countries. It is, however, not possible to make a description of the causes, scope, and future of the power struggle in the Red Sea without examining the regional and internal developments that shape the foreign policy strategies of the countries in the region and evaluating how these developments are used by global actors.

Keywords

Energy, Djibouti, Military Base, Eritrea, Al Shabab

Kızıldeniz’e Odaklanan Güç Mücadelesi: Sebepler ve Aktörler

Abstract

Akdeniz ile Hint Okyanusu'nu birbirine bağlayan Kızıldeniz, dünyanın en önemli su yollarından biridir. Daha çok Süveyş Kanalı özelinde ele alınmış olan bu deniz, deniz ticareti ve enerji aktarımı hususundaki rolüyle, jeopolitik ve jeoekonomik anlamda çok önemlidir. Doğu Afrika ile Ortadoğu'nun kesişim noktasında bulunan Kızıldeniz'in Hint Okyanusu'na açılım noktasında bulunan Bab-el Mendeb Boğazı'nın güvenliği ve kontrolü küresel ve bölgesel aktörleri ciddi bir mücadelenin içerisine itmiştir. Yemen ve Somali'deki istikrarsızlık ile Hint Okyanusu-Kızıldeniz bağlantısındaki deniz haydutluğu girişimleri de Kızıldeniz'in jeopolitik ve jeoekonomik önemi ile yakından ilgilidir. Bu bağlamda, bölge ülkelerinin dış politika stratejileri, küresel ve bölgesel aktörler ile ilişkileri ve hatta bu ülkelerdeki iç siyasal gelişmeler de Kızıldeniz odaklı rekabetten etkilenmekte ve aynı zamanda bu rekabeti etkilemektedir. Son dönemde, bu bölge özelinde en fazla üzerinde durulan husus ise çeşitli küresel/bölgesel aktörlerin bölge ülkelerinde elde ettiği askeri üslerdir. Hatta bu aktörlerin, çeşitli bölge ülkeleri özelinde üs elde etme mücadelesi içerisine girdiği de söylenebilir. Bölge ülkelerinin dış politika stratejilerine yön veren bölgesel ve içsel gelişmeler irdelenmeden ve bu gelişmelerin küresel aktörler tarafından nasıl kullanıldığı değerlendirilmeden, Kızıldeniz’deki güç mücadelesinin sebep, kapsam ve geleceğine dair betimlemeler yapmak mümkün değildir.

Keywords

Enerji, Cibuti, Askeri üs, Eritre, El Şebab

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