The bloody end to the schoolhouse hostage crisis in North Ossetia, and recent clashes in Georgia between government troops and separatist forces, have put the troubled Black Sea region on the front pages of newspapers once again. This rising violence is also a wake-up call for the West, highlighting the need for a new Euro-Atlantic strategy in a vitally important region that lies at the crossroads of Europe, Eurasia, and the Middle East.
北奥塞梯校园人质事件的血腥结尾和格鲁吉亚政府军及分离武装不久前发生的冲突使本来就麻烦不断的黑海地区再次登上了各大报章的头版。日益严重的暴力也呼唤着西方的觉醒，也再次告诉我们建立新的欧洲－大西洋战略关系有多么必要。黑海地区地处欧洲、欧亚大陆和中东地区的交叉地带，其战略位置的重要性无需讳言。