The Soviet-Turkish Conflict over the Straits in the Years of 1945-1946 : The Beginning of American Involvement in Eastern Mediterranean
Abstract
The Soviet-Turkish conflict over the Black Sea Straits of 1945-1946 can be regarded as one of the first conflicts of the emerging Cold War. The United States of America had been observing the development in the regions of the Mediterranean and the Near East with great interest since the end of World War II as there were situated important oil deposits.
At first the United States rejected any military involvement outside the United Nations Organization, but with the escalating Soviet pressure on Turkey concerning the revision of the so called Montreux Convention their attitude started to change. As far as the conflict over the Black Sea Straits is concerned, the United States took Turkey's side unequivocally; Turkey managed to withstand Soviet pressure and thanks to its geostrategic position it gradually began to play an important role in the security system of the West.