Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Georgia tries to distance itself from the rest of the South Caucasus through a process of integration with the West. But that process is far from plain sailing.
The use of technology in the field of peacebuilding is on the rise, as novel approaches to fostering and promoting peace are needed to tackle persistent conflict.
The immediate reaction to Armenia’s new constitution is critical. But in the longer term, the introduction of a parliamentary system of government may be a positive step.
NATO’s open-door policy for admitting new members is inconsistent, selective, and influenced by Russia.
The current friction between Turkey and Russia adds a new layer of complication to an already tense situation in the Caucasus, but another war between Armenia and Azerbaijan is in nobody’s interest.
The EU’s problem in Azerbaijan is that it lacks leverage. Smart and targeted sanctions against certain government figures would help.
Since the Ukraine crisis, the situation has worsened in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Western antipathy to any notion of a Crimea precedent has hurt the two territories.
Despite his harsh rhetoric, Kadyrov now takes a pragmatic view of the Islamic State’s influence on the situation in Chechnya and is committing himself to “exorcise” would-be recruits or returnees from the Middle East rather than merely destroying them.
Armenia needs to find its own voice on foreign policy and ensure that its international partnerships do not limit the country’s ability to make sovereign decisions.
Despite the relatively small number of Muslims in Georgia, issues related to Islam and Muslims have taken on an increasingly high profile in recent years.
