<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>Greece as a state in South-eastern Europe and the Mediterranean has perceived itself as a frontline state, especially after it became a NATO member in 1952 along with Turkey. The two states formed the south-eastern flank of NATO and along with Iran constituted the Greece, Turkey, Iran (GTI) Corridor, part of Rimland. Greece’s strategic value stemmed from its frontline position in relation to the Eastern Bloc. After the dissolution of the Eastern Bloc, Greece has reinvented itself as a frontline state, this time in the Mediterranean Sea. We use the historical notion of longue durée and loci of Classical Geopolitics, such as Heartland and Rimland, to assess Greece’s strategic value in the long period. We also propose an additional spatial unity, the New Rimland.</p>
</abstract>

Greece as a state in South-eastern Europe and the Mediterranean has perceived itself as a frontline state, especially after it became a NATO member in 1952 along with Turkey. The two states formed the south-eastern flank of NATO and along with Iran constituted the Greece, Turkey, Iran (GTI) Corridor, part of Rimland. Greece’s strategic value stemmed from its frontline position in relation to the Eastern Bloc. After the dissolution of the Eastern Bloc, Greece has reinvented itself as a frontline state, this time in the Mediterranean Sea. We use the historical notion of longue durée and loci of Classical Geopolitics, such as Heartland and Rimland, to assess Greece’s strategic value in the long period. We also propose an additional spatial unity, the New Rimland.

Greece as a frontline state in the historical longue durée

Adjunct Lecturer in Geopolitics, Faculty of Turkish and Modern Asian Studies

Journal of Military Studies

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

{"article-title":"Greece as a frontline state in the historical longue durée"}

Greece as a state in South-eastern Europe and the Mediterranean has perceived itself as a frontline state, especially after it became a NATO member in 1952...

Greece as a frontline state in the historical longue durée

Article Category: Original Study

Published Online: Oct 01, 2021

Page range: 82 - 89

Received: Dec 09, 2020

Accepted: Jun 12, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jms-2021-0010

Keywords
NATO, GTI Corridor, Heartland, Rimland, frontline state, New Rimland

© 2021 Ioannis E. Kotoulas, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Greece as a frontline state in the historical longue durée

Article Category: Original Study

Published Online: Oct 01, 2021

Page range: 82 - 89

Received: Dec 09, 2020

Accepted: Jun 12, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jms-2021-0010

KeywordsNATO, GTI Corridor, Heartland, Rimland, frontline state, New Rimland

© 2021 Ioannis E. Kotoulas, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
NATO, GTI Corridor, Heartland, Rimland, frontline state, New Rimland