Three decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union, sweeping societal, economic, and generational changes are transforming the South Caucasus and Central Asia. Competition for influence in these regions is intensifying amid shockwaves from Russia’s war against Ukraine. Chinese economic and political inroads are expanding as is the presence of Türkiye, Iran, and other Middle Eastern powers.

Despite the dramatic transformation of this part of the world and its great potential, U.S. and European attention has been sporadic at best, manifesting itself mostly in times of crisis or when it is needed to serve Western interests as was the case following September 11. As a result, long-term thinking is in short supply, and Western policymakers are often left without the insight they need to navigate complex regional dynamics.

Anchored in rigorous and clear-eyed analysis, the Aso O. Tavitian Initiative is dedicated to correcting this lack of attention. It brings together a diverse group of scholars, diplomats, policymakers, and regional voices committed to providing rigorous analysis, to reducing the sources of inter-state conflict, and to helping these countries consolidate their independence and sovereignty.

Carnegie scholars’ current agenda is particularly focused on recent historic changes in the South Caucasus, with Armenia and Azerbaijan inching toward a peace treaty, possible normalization of relations between Armenia and Türkiye, the reshaping of economic and political fault lines in the wake of the war in Ukraine, and persistent worries about Russia’s undisguised imperial ambitions.