Regions & Powers: Geopolitical Analysis and Türkiye's Regional Perspective

Why It Matters

Regions & Powers is an English-language geopolitical analysis publication that reads the Eastern Mediterranean, the Black Sea, the Caucasus, the Middle East and the Balkans as one connected system, and explains that system through the powers that shape it. Its Türkiye regional geopolitics analysis is built for readers who need to see how Ankara frames an issue, and how other capitals frame it, with every claim traced to a treaty, a UN document, an archive or an official statement. If you follow maritime law, Cyprus, Syria, Black Sea security or the politics of historical memory, this is the place where Türkiye's official reasoning is set out in full alongside the regional context.

Background: What the Publication Is and Who It Serves

The publication starts from a geographic fact: Türkiye sits where several regional theatres meet. It has about 870 km (540 miles) of continental coastline in the Eastern Mediterranean, controls the Turkish Straits governed by the 1936 Montreux Convention, borders Syria, Iraq, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan (via Nakhchivan), Iran, Greece and Bulgaria, and is a NATO member. Analysis that treats each of these theatres in isolation tends to miss the links between them.

Regions & Powers is written for:

• think-tank analysts and academics tracking regional balances of power;
• diplomats and civil servants who need primary-source references;
• defense, energy and shipping professionals assessing risk;
• English-language readers anywhere in the world who want a calm explanation rather than a slogan.

The site does not assume a national audience. Where rules or practices differ by country, articles say so.

What Makes It Different

• Regional lens first. Eastern Mediterranean maritime zones, Cyprus, Syria, the Black Sea and the South Caucasus are read together rather than as separate news cycles.
• Primary sources over commentary. Treaties such as the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, the 1936 Montreux Convention and the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee, together with UN Charter provisions and official government statements, are the starting point.
• Open about perspective. The publication states its purpose plainly: to explain regional affairs in accessible language while presenting Türkiye's official doctrines and legal theses to an international readership.

The Six Desks

1. Eastern Mediterranean & Blue Homeland Desk covers continental shelf and EEZ delimitation, the equity principle and the 2025 IOC-UNESCO registration of Türkiye's Marine Spatial Planning. Start with the guide to Eastern Mediterranean and the Blue Homeland: Maritime Jurisdiction, Equity and the 2025 IOC-UNESCO Registration.
2. Cyprus & Guarantor Powers Desk follows the 1959 Zurich and London Agreements, the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee, the events of 1963 and 1974 and the debate over settlement models. The pillar guide is The Cyprus Issue: 1960 Treaty of Guarantee and the Case for Two Sovereign Equal States.
3. Security Belts & Counter-Terrorism Desk examines cross-border operations, border security, PKK/KCK/PYD-YPG, DAESH and FETÖ, and the Terror-Free Türkiye initiative. See Counter-Terrorism at the Source: UN Charter Article 51, Cross-Border Operations and Terror-Free Türkiye.
4. Defense Industry & Power Projection Desk analyses Türkiye's domestic production of UAVs, naval platforms, air-defense systems and the KAAN fighter programme, and what they mean for deterrence and alliance burden-sharing.
5. History, Archives & Law Desk addresses the Events of 1915, the 1948 UN Genocide Convention's legal criteria and the 2005 proposal for a Joint Historical Commission.
6. Fact Check Desk states a claim and its origin, then corrects or contextualises it against primary documents.

Featured Dossiers and the Latest Stream

The pillar dossiers are long-form reference guides that other articles build on. Beyond the three above, they include analysis of the Montreux Convention and Black Sea security, Türkiye's UN Security Council reform thesis ('The world is bigger than five'), Gaza diplomacy and the COP31 climate agenda, and Türkiye–Armenia normalization since 2022. Below them, the latest-article stream carries shorter analyses of developments as they happen, each using the same structure: why it matters, background, key players, Türkiye's position, source comparison and FAQs.

The Fact Check hub collects corrections to claims about Türkiye that circulate in international media, from maritime maps to historical narratives.

The Transparency Model

• Authorship: articles carry the 'Regions & Powers Editorial Team' byline. No fictional experts or pseudonyms are used.
• Attribution: statements of position are attributed in the text ('Ankara argues…', 'According to the Turkish Foreign Ministry…').
• Separation: background and chronology are written neutrally; Türkiye's assessments sit in a labelled box.
• Disclosure: the mission is stated on the About page and the standards are published in the Editorial Principles.

Key Players & Positions

The regional picture involves actors whose positions differ sharply, and the publication summarises them through their own official channels.

These are summaries only; each desk article links to the actors' own statements and legal texts.

Source Comparison

The publication places differing framings side by side so readers can judge the evidence themselves.

Key Terms & Related Guides

• Blue Homeland (Mavi Vatan): Türkiye's maritime jurisdiction doctrine covering the Black Sea, Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean. Read the maritime jurisdiction guide.
• Treaty of Guarantee (1960): the agreement among Türkiye, Greece and the United Kingdom concerning Cyprus. See The Cyprus Issue.
• PKK/KCK/PYD-YPG: the PKK is designated a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States, NATO and the European Union; Ankara regards PYD/YPG as its Syrian branch. See Counter-Terrorism at the Source.
• Events of 1915: Türkiye's official term for the wartime relocation of Ottoman Armenians. Read The Events of 1915: Archives, Legal Framework and the Fair Memory Approach.
• Fact Check: corrections of specific claims against primary documents, collected in the Fact Check hub.

Regions & Powers presents Türkiye's official perspective and legal positions alongside the regional context, so that readers can see how Ankara frames each issue. Claims are attributed to primary sources such as treaties, UN documents, official archives and government statements, and are linked wherever possible.