Regional security in the South Caucasus: the role of Nato

In this article, the challenges and prospects of cooperation between the South Caucasus countries and NATO have been analyzed. The geo-economic, geopolitical and geostrategic importance of the region for both NATO and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (Russia particularly) and reciprocal expectations of further cooperation with the Alliance have been considered. The regional state of affairs in the South Caucasus has been analyzed and the possible impacts of Russian influence on forging closer relations with NATO have been examined. The security environment after the Russo-Georgian war and its repercussions for the South Caucasus-NATO cooperation have been illustrated. NATO's vested interest in the region to contribute to a European security system for the foreseeable future was brought to the fore. The reasons for the Alliance's reluctance to actively engage in the region are examined. The recommendations are intended to counterbalance the Russian military presence in the region, without antagonizing the incumbent government in Moscow, and to eradicate the so-called "frozen conflicts" in order to maintain security and prosperity for the South Caucasus region as a whole.

Caucasus Journalists Network., 2012

Interviews with experts, analysts, and political figures on topical issues of international politics and security are organized for reporters from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia within the framework of the project "The Security of South Caucasus and NATO". These interviews are published by the reporters in their mass media.

The South Caucasus is one of the most important geostrategic regions between Europe and Asia, a playground for many regional and global actors with enduring interests. These interests have been clashing through the centuries. Each actor endeavors to impose its rules and tries to capitalize on the geostrategic benefits of the region. This article analyzes the main aspects, challenges, and prospects of cooperation between the countries in the South Caucasus and Russia and NATO. The authors describe the competition for power and influence in the region, the "Old Great Game," the regional state of affairs, and possible effects of the Rus-sian factor on the South Caucasus-NATO cooperation. They illustrate Rus-sia's security interests in the South Caucasus vis-à-vis NATO's enlargement policy, outline the reasons for the Alliance's reluctance to engage in the region actively, and current and future prospects of South Caucasus-NATO cooperation. NATO's presence is said to counterbalance the Russian military presence in the region, but how is this managed without antagonizing the incumbent government in Moscow and what is its contribution to resolving the so-called "frozen conflicts" in order to maintain the security and prosperity of the South Caucasus? The combination of competition and confrontation has been designated as the "New Great Game," with clear similarities and differences vis-à-vis the "Old Great Game." The authors question whether a "New Great Game" currently exists and apply comparative analysis, synthesis, inductive, and deductive methods to come up with conclusive answers.

Russkii Vopros, 2019

Nearly 27 years have passed since the establishment of relations between NATO and the three South Caucasus republics. However, over the years those relations passed different and difficult ways of development. Despite the fact that NATO cooperation with 3 countries started almost at the same time and in similar conditions, achievements of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia are different. This paper reviews the development and the current state of the mutual relations. It also analysis problems and perspectives of relations between the Alliance and the three South Caucasus states.

For Russia, the former Soviet Union’s territories are part of its sphere of influence. Russian officials warn that any location of a military bloc near its borders is considered as a threat to its national security. As Georgia and Ukraine advance in their aspiration for NATO membership, Russia takes measures to strengthen its geopolitical positions by weakening neighbors’ territorial integrity. The article aims to rethink the war in Georgia from the perspective of Russia-NATO relations.

What a ‘New European Security Deal’ Could Mean for the South Caucasus / 17th Workshop of the PfP Consortium Study Group Regional Stability in the South Caucasus 4/2018, 2018

This paper sketches the historical evolution of the security environment in the South Caucasus since the end of the Cold War. It traces in particular the emergence of three independent countries in the region as full mem-bers of world community in the wake of USSR’s collapse. This article ar-gues that after the rise of Russia to world pre-eminence, today’s world is becoming bipolar again and the relations between super powers are more tenuous than they used to be during the Iron Curtain period. To that effect, a new Cold War period seems to be in the offing. Yet, the main conclusion drawn from this paper is that for small states in the South Caucasus the optimum security strategy is to strike the right balance between these two poles (Russia and NATO). As a result, with the assumption of the Russia-NATO partnership, the paper realizes that in order to bring harmony with-in the international security, specifically in the South Caucasus, there is a need for the two major players to work hand in hand

Defense & Security Analysis, 2018

The Caucasus has been a major flashpoint of contention between NATO and a resurgent Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The rivalry saw the escalation of hostility in the region during the brief 2008 Russo-Georgian War where a NATO-backed Georgia challenged South Ossetia supported by the Russian military. In 2011, NATO officially recognised Georgia as a potential member, challenging Russia’s traditional sphere of influence in the Caucasus. Moscow says the Eastward expansion of NATO into the Baltics and to include Georgia as a member state is a method of containing a resurgent Russia. However, the former Soviet Republics of Ukraine, the Baltics and Georgia, maintain that Russia represents a threat to their sovereignty, as seen by the Russian support of the breakaway unrecognised Republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. A hostile rivalry between the Russianbacked Armenia and Azerbaijan, which is reliant upon NATOmember Turkey, intensifies the polarisation in the Caucasus.

Bilge Strateji, 2021

Georgia is a small country in an insecure region where military escalation has become a common feature of regional politics. At the same time, it is strategically important for both the West and Russia, which is one of the key causes of instability. The aim of this study is to analyse Georgia's security perspective on regional security in the South Caucasus, which is suggested to be intertwined with its national security perspective. Insecurity and conflict, according to Georgia's security perception, lead to increased Russian interference in the region, which itself is one of the causes of the region's persistent instability. Thus, stability in the South Caucasus is one of Georgia's top priorities in terms of security, which is reflected in Georgia's National Security Concept (NSC) adopted in 2011, and the 2012 Resolution of Basic Directions of Georgia's Foreign Policy. Following Georgia's NSC, this study examines the relationship between Georgia's security expectations and regional geopolitical realities and finds that, although Georgia's current security perception, based on the 2011 NSC, has met national and regional security needs so far, adaptation of the security policy to new circumstances, where Georgia could serve as a connection between the West and the East rather than choosing between them, is required.