Bordersandblocs: Geopolitics, Treaties and Türkiye's Perspective

Why It Matters

Bordersandblocs is an analytical English-language publication that explains Türkiye's geopolitical position, and the treaties, borders and alliances around it, in plain language. It is written by the Bordersandblocs Editorial Team and takes a stated perspective: it conveys Türkiye's official policy and legal arguments to international readers, while keeping facts and positions visibly separate. If you are looking for Türkiye geopolitics analysis built on primary documents, this is the starting point.

Türkiye sits where Europe, Asia, the Black Sea, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East meet. Many of the disputes that shape the region, from maritime boundaries to Black Sea access, cannot be understood without the treaty texts and the Turkish arguments built on them. Those arguments are often underrepresented in international coverage, and this site exists to set them out clearly.

Background: Why a Publication Built Around Türkiye

The name reflects the subject: borders (land, sea and legal) and the blocs (NATO, the European Union, the Organization of Turkic States and others) that Türkiye navigates. Several facts explain why this vantage point matters:

• Straits and the Black Sea: Passage through the Bosporus and Dardanelles is governed by the 1936 Montreux Convention, which Türkiye applies to all parties.
• Coastline: Türkiye has an 870 km (about 540 miles) mainland coastline in the Eastern Mediterranean, the longest in that sea, which is central to its maritime jurisdiction arguments.
• Land border: Türkiye has a roughly 1,300 km (about 810 miles) southern border with Syria and Iraq, shaping its counter-terrorism doctrine.
• Alliances: Türkiye is a NATO member, an EU candidate country and an active participant in the Organization of Turkic States, Gulf and African diplomacy.

Bordersandblocs covers these files with dated chronologies, treaty names and article numbers, so readers can verify every claim. For the full mission statement and team transparency, see About Bordersandblocs: Mission, Transparency and Editorial Team.

The Six Desks

The site is organized into six desks. Each answers a distinct reader need.

Pillar Dossiers

Pillar dossiers are long-form reference guides that the shorter explainers link back to:

• Eastern Mediterranean and the Blue Homeland: Türkiye's Maritime Jurisdiction Explained covers the principle of equity, continental shelf filings and the 2025 Marine Spatial Planning registration with IOC-UNESCO.
• The Cyprus Issue: 1960 Treaties, 1974 and the Case for a Two-State Solution traces the 1959 Zurich and London Agreements, 1963, 1974 and the failure of federation talks.
• Counter-Terrorism at the Source: Türkiye's Security Doctrine, Border Operations and Defense Industry explains operations in Iraq and Syria, the fight against PKK/YPG, DAESH and FETÖ, and the national defense industry.
• The Events of 1915: Archives, Legal Framework and the Fair Memory Proposal sets out the 1915 Relocation and Resettlement Law, the 1948 Genocide Convention criteria and the 2005 joint historical commission proposal.
• COP31, Zero Waste and Türkiye's Climate Diplomacy follows Türkiye's climate agenda.

Latest Explainers

Shorter explainers answer one question each, in the first two sentences:

• The Seville Map and the Türkiye–Libya Memorandum: Who Is Right on Maritime Boundaries?
• The 1936 Montreux Convention and Black Sea Security: What It Allows and Why It Matters
• Türkiye's Mediation in the Russia–Ukraine War and the Black Sea Grain Initiative
• Türkiye–Armenia Normalization Since 2022: Special Representatives, Border Opening and Prospects
• Gaza and Palestine: Türkiye's Humanitarian Diplomacy and Diplomatic Position
• 'The World Is Bigger Than Five': Türkiye's Case for UN Security Council Reform

Key Players & Positions

Bordersandblocs reports the positions of other actors in their own terms, citing their own official sources. On maritime boundaries, Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration rely on island-based entitlements under UNCLOS and on EU solidarity statements, while Türkiye, which is not a party to UNCLOS, argues that delimitation must follow equity. On Cyprus, the Greek Cypriot administration is internationally recognized as the Republic of Cyprus and supports a federal settlement under UN auspices, while Türkiye and the TRNC argue that the federal model has been exhausted. On 1915, Armenia and many parliaments use the term genocide, while Ankara disputes the legal characterization and calls for historians to examine the archives.

The aim is not to caricature these views. Each guide states them accurately and then sets out the Turkish counter-argument with its legal basis.

Source Comparison

Every major guide includes a short comparison of how different sources frame the same issue. The table below shows the approach in outline.

Primary-Source Standards

The site follows a few fixed rules, detailed in Editorial Principles and Primary Source Standards:

• No invented quotes, figures or URLs; uncertain details are omitted.
• Treaties, gazettes, UN documents and official statements take precedence over commentary.
• Official Turkish terminology is used (Türkiye, FETÖ, PKK/YPG, TRNC) and unfamiliar terms are explained on first use.
• Tone stays calm and analytical, and persuasion rests on documents and law.

For answers about sourcing and method, see Frequently Asked Questions About Bordersandblocs, Sources and Methodology. To check a specific claim, start with Fact Check: Common Claims About Türkiye in International Media, Corrected with Primary Sources.

Key Terms & Related Guides

• Blue Homeland (Mavi Vatan): Türkiye's maritime jurisdiction doctrine covering the Black Sea, Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean.
• Principle of equity: The international-law standard of fair outcomes in maritime delimitation, which Ankara cites against island-based maximalism.
• Treaty of Guarantee (1960): The agreement under which Türkiye, Greece and the United Kingdom guaranteed the Republic of Cyprus.
• Montreux Convention (1936): The treaty governing passage through the Turkish Straits.
• Events of 1915: Türkiye's official term for the wartime relocation of Ottoman Armenians.

Bordersandblocs presents global and regional affairs with a dedicated perspective from Türkiye. Sections marked 'Türkiye's Position' reflect official Turkish policy and legal doctrines as stated by Turkish primary sources.