Stalin and the Turkish Crisis of the Cold War, 1945–1953

Jamil Hasanli has once again broken significant historical ground with this fascinating new study. Based on an extraordinary array of archival sources — Turkish, Russian, Azeri, Armenian, Georgian, U.S., and West European — he explores with fresh perspective a crucial early chapter of the Cold War, and in the process provides insights into some of the most controversial issues that still plague the region to this day. -- Malcolm Byrne, research director, the National Security Archive at George Washington University
With a treasure-trove of archival sources from Moscow and Baku, this book documents Stalin’s plot to gain access to the Mediterranean. Dr. Hasanli’s superb research follows the impressive range of developments, from the Big Three diplomacy to the complexity of regional nationalist aspirations. -- Vladislav Zubok, London School of Economics and Political Science
An important new study of the origins of the cold war that challenges Eurocentric interpretations. Based on a wealth of material from Soviet, Western and Turkish archives, Hasanli argues that Stalin’s ambitions in the Near East were central to the postwar breakup of the Grand Alliance. Right or wrong, Hasanli has written a book that commands the attention of all students and scholars of the early cold war. -- Geoffrey Roberts, University College Cork