South Caucasus: The Main Issues of Regional Insecurity and Instability
Abstract
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union and gaining their independence, the three states of the South Caucasus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, have shared almost the same security problems and challenges. Scarcity of democratic institutions, lack of economic sovereignty, and high levels of corruption were, and still are, the key internal threats for all of them. While the situation concerning the states internal security problems have mostly intrinsic causes, the main issues of the regional security and stability are dependent on a more collaborative approach among the states. The key driving factors of regional instability and insecurity remain the unresolved Nagorno Karabakh, Abkhazian and South Ossetian conflicts. Another major problem is growing tensions in Russian-Georgian relations. Historically established negative Armenian-Turkish relations are also cause for concern. The Iranian nuclear program has an impact on the region as well and makes the situation more complex. This SRP describes the region's current issues and argues that the South Caucasus will remain unstable as long as these issues remain unsolved. The paper will further discuss the current initiatives and possible solutions.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2013
- Accession Number
- ADA589316
Entities
People
- Artyom Gevorgyan
Organizations
- United States Army War College