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The Caucasus

Named for the mountain range between southern Russia, and northern Turkey and Iran, the Caucasus is home to the nations of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. While all three nations have made progress toward democracy and a free market in varying degrees since independence in the 1990s, corruption, human rights violations, and conflict still hinder efforts to improve regional security.

Learn more about the Caucasus
Iranian war games on the border with Azerbaijan were really a message to Israel

UkraineAlert Aug 7, 2021

The 2008 Russo-Georgian War: Putin’s green light

The 2008 Russo-Georgian War is now widely recognized as a landmark event in Russia’s emergence under Vladimir Putin as a revisionist power seeking to reverse the verdict of 1991.

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Iranian war games on the border with Azerbaijan were really a message to Israel

UkraineAlert Jul 20, 2021

Infrastructure cooperation could hold the key to Armenia’s future security

By Ani Yeghiazaryan

As the South Caucasus looks to move on following last year’s Nagorno-Karabakh War, shared infrastructure projects could help foster greater regional stability and improve the chances for a sustainable peace.
Geopolitics & Energy Security Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding
Iranian war games on the border with Azerbaijan were really a message to Israel

UkraineAlert Nov 24, 2020

Ukraine must study the economic foundations of Azerbaijan’s military success

By Vladislav Inozemtsev

Ukraine must learn from Azerbaijan and look to create a strong economy built on modern technologies and broad international cooperation before seeking to regain Russian-occupied regions of the country.

Conflict Economy & Business
Featured events
Wed, March 3, 2021 • 9:00 am ET

Crisis in Georgia?

With the high-profile arrest of UNM opposition leader Nika Melia, Georgia may be in a new political crisis. How dangerous is the situation and what can be done to deescalate tensions to ensure Georgia’s democratic future?
Political Reform Politics & Diplomacy Rule of Law The Caucasus
Crisis in Georgia?
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Experts

Staff

Eto Buziashvili

Research Associate, Caucasus

Digital Forensic Research Lab

Conflict Disinformation

Fellow

Michael Carpenter

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Eurasia Center

Eastern Europe National Security

Staff

Sopo Gelava

Research Associate, Caucasus

Digital Forensic Research Lab

Civil Society Disinformation

Fellow

Nino Ghvinadze

Nonresident Fellow

Eurasia Center

Democratic Transitions Georgian

Staff

Givi Gigitashvili

Research Assistant, Caucasus

Digital Forensic Research Lab

Belarus Conflict

Staff

Melinda Haring

Deputy Director

Eurasia Center

Ukraine Civil Society
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Content

IranSource

Oct 8, 2021

Iranian war games on the border with Azerbaijan were really a message to Israel

By Abbas Qaidari

The high self-confidence of Azerbaijani authorities today, the coldness of Tehran-Yerevan ties due to Iran’s support of Baku during the Nagoro-Karabakh conflict, and the growing influence of Turkey and Israel in the Caucasus have made Iranian officials concerned about the possibility of a limited conflict in the region.

Iran Middle East

UkraineAlert

Oct 5, 2021

Saakashvili arrest overshadows Georgian ruling party’s election win

By Peter Dickinson

Georgia’s ruling party Georgian Dream secured victory in October 2 local elections but the imprisonment of returning ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili leaves little realistic chance of an end to political tensions.

Elections The Caucasus

TURKEYSource

Sep 30, 2021

Experts react: The key takeaways from the Erdoğan-Putin meeting

By Atlantic Council IN TURKEY

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in-person in Sochi, Russia for the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Atlantic Council experts give their take on the outcome.

Conflict Defense Industry

UkraineAlert

Aug 7, 2021

The 2008 Russo-Georgian War: Putin’s green light

By Peter Dickinson

The 2008 Russo-Georgian War is now widely recognized as a landmark event in Russia's emergence under Vladimir Putin as a revisionist power seeking to reverse the verdict of 1991.

Conflict European Union

In the News

Jul 21, 2021

Benitez in Stars and Stripes: Russian actions in Black Sea show ‘increasing aggression,’ says top US admiral in the region

By Jorge Benitez

Jorge Benitez was quoted in a Stars and Stripes article regarding the escalation of Russian military aggression in the Black Sea against US and NATO warships conducting exercises in the region.

Defense Policy Defense Technologies

UkraineAlert

Jul 20, 2021

Infrastructure cooperation could hold the key to Armenia’s future security

By Ani Yeghiazaryan

As the South Caucasus looks to move on following last year's Nagorno-Karabakh War, shared infrastructure projects could help foster greater regional stability and improve the chances for a sustainable peace.

Geopolitics & Energy Security Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding

UkraineAlert

Jun 19, 2021

Armenian voters offered false choice between security and democracy

By Lusine Hakobyan

Armenians will go to the polls on June 20 in snap parliamentary elections that the opposition seeks to position as a straight choice between democracy and security following the country's 2020 military defeat.

Democratic Transitions Elections

In the News

May 27, 2021

Viačorka on CNN: ‘No one can feel safe in Europe’

By Atlantic Council

Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya's advisor Franak Viačorka and journalist Anne Applebaum tell CNN's Bianna Golodryga about the wider repercussions of Belarus's forced downing of a Ryanair plane.

Belarus Democratic Transitions

In the News

May 5, 2021

Murtazashvili: Democracy Denied—The False Promise of Afghanistan’s Constitutional Order

By Atlantic Council

Civil Society Corruption

In the News

Apr 30, 2021

Kroenig and Ashford discuss the global implications of Biden’s climate change agenda

By Atlantic Council

On April 30, Foreign Policy published its biweekly column featuring Scowcroft Center deputy director Matthew Kroenig and New American Engagement Initiative senior fellow Emma Ashford discussing the latest news in international affairs. In this column, they discuss the Biden administration’s approach to tackling climate change, Biden’s acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide, and the US response to India’s surge […]

Climate Change & Climate Action Coronavirus
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