Mackinder Forum Virtual Seminar #74: Dr. Antonia Colibasanu, “The Black Sea Region and the Ukraine War in Geopolitical Perspective”
On Sunday, March 5, 2023, 1:30-3:00 P.M. Eastern U.S. Time, Dr. Antonia Colibasanu presented a talk to the Mackinder Forum on “The Black Sea Region and the Ukraine War in Geopolitical Perspective.”
Abstract: The war in Ukraine has become a war of attrition. Usually, a war of attrition is not a prelude to peace, but a prelude to escalation. Besides a kinetic front, there is also an economic front. The intersection between the military and economic fronts will fuel the potential for escalation. The Black Sea region could see dramatic actions and consequences.
The Snake Island is little known to the world outside the region, but the island is of genuine strategic importance. This presentation will focus on the Island as a micro-region and then highlight European challenges stemming from the Ukraine war and the Black Sea region. This shift in scale will allow us to discuss several scenarios on the war's evolution and on Europe's next geopolitical challenges.
Biography: Antonia Colibasanu is Senior Geopolitical Analyst and Chief Operating Officer at Geopolitical Futures. She has published several works on geopolitics and geoeconomics, including "Contemporary Geopolitics and Geoeconomics" and "2022: The Geoeconomic Roundabout". She is also lecturer on international relations at the Romanian National University of Political Studies and Public Administration. She is a senior expert associate with the Romanian New Strategy Center think tank and a member of the Scientific Council of Real Elcano Institute.
Prior to Geopolitical Futures, Dr. Colibasanu spent more than 10 years with Stratfor in various positions, including as partner for Europe and vice president for international marketing. Prior to joining Stratfor in 2006, Dr. Colibasanu held a variety of roles with the World Trade Center Association in Bucharest.
Dr. Colibasanu holds a master’s degree in International Project Management, and she is an alumna of the International Institute on Politics and Economics at Georgetown University. Her doctorate is in International Business and Economics from Bucharest’s Academy of Economic Studies. Her thesis focused on country-level risk analysis and investment decision-making processes by transnational companies.
Readings:
https://cepa.org/comprehensive-reports/the-strategic-importance-of-snake-island/.
https://geopoliticalfutures.com/maritime-trade-problems-in-the-black-sea-and-beyond/
https://geopoliticalfutures.com/trends-that-will-define-the-coming-years/