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. Since their independence in 1991, these nations have faced frozen conflicts which have hampered development and have given Russia and Turkey means to exert and maintain influence. While all three nations have made progress toward democracy and a free market in varying degrees, corruption, human rights violations, and conflict still hinder efforts to improve regional security.