The Blue Homeland (Mavi Vatan)

Turkey’s Naval Strategy in the Surrounding Seas (2020-2023)

Palavras-chave: Turkey, Blue Homeland, Naval Strategy, Mediterranean Sea, Aegean Sea

Resumo

This article is situated within Geopolitics and Strategic Studies, addressing a gap in Brazilian literature on the geopolitical concept of the Blue Homeland (Mavi Vatan). This concept underpins Turkey’s naval strategy and is rooted in its strategic
rivalry with Greece, especially regarding sovereignty and energy resource exploration. The objective was to define the theoretical variable “Blue Homeland,” reflecting Turkey’s perspective on its surrounding seas: the Mediterranean, Aegean, and Black Seas. This definition aimed to understand naval strategy behaviour in these maritime spaces. A Case Study methodology, supported by historical and experimental methods, was used. The findings indicate that the Blue Homeland concept, developed in 2006, was adopted by the Turkish Navy’s strategic framework by 2020. It is seen as a form of neo-Ottomanism, seeking to restore Turkey’s historic role as a major power in the Middle East under President Erdoğan. The study concludes that the strategic logic of the Blue Homeland, amid Turkey-Greece rivalry, has driven the modernization and strengthening of Turkey’s Naval Force. Ultimately, the Blue Homeland signifies complete strategic autonomy, which is crucial for the survival of the Turkish state.

Biografia do Autor

Vitor Deccache Chiozzo, Programa de Pós Graduação em Estudos Estratégicos da UFF

Lieutenant-Commander in the Brazilian Navy. PhD Candidate in Strategic Defense and Security Studies at Universidade Federal Fluminense (PPGEST/UFF). MSc in Maritime Studies (Escola de Guerra Naval), B.A. in International Relations (Unilasalle - RJ). Collaborator at the Center for Political-Strategic Studies of the Brazilian Navy (CEPE-MB). Chief of Operations of the Polar Research Ship Ary Rongel. Former Commanding Officer of the Hydrographic Buoy Tender Ship “Comandante Varella”.

Andre Luiz Varella Neves, Programa de Pós Graduação em Estudos Estratégicos da UFF

Doctor of Political Science at the University of São Paulo. Adjunct Professor of the International Relations Course and Post-Graduate Course in Strategic Defense and Security Studies (PPGEST/UFF). Coordinator of The U.S. Grand Strategy Study Laboratory, registred in the CNPq Directory of Research Groups. He currently holds the position of Deputy Head of the Department of Strategic Studies and International Relations (DEI).

Publicado
2024-11-11
Edição
v. 30 n. 2 (2024): Revista da Escola de Guerra Naval
Seção
Artigos