Democratization Experiences and Obstacles in the South Caucasus: Possibilities for Change

As middle powers with regional aspirations, Iran and Turkey see the South Caucasus region as an ideal arena for expanding their reach and influence. As post-sanctions Iran finds greater space for diplomacy and trade, the ensuing competition between the two neighboring countries is likely to intensify in the coming years. For both states, trade and soft power are the most viable tools for expanding their influence. In the long run, the competition in trade is only likely to benefit the three states of the South Caucasus. But it is also likely to keep the multiple conflicts that have ravaged the region over the last several decades — especially between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Russia and Georgia, and even the historic animosity between Turkey and Armenia — frozen and without a solution in sight.

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Pipeline Politics in Iran, Turkey, and the South Caucasus

10.1093/oso/9780190673604.003.0003 ◽

2017 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mahmood Monshipouri

Keyword(s):

Local Governments ◽

Oil And Gas ◽

Complex Dynamics ◽

The South ◽

South Caucasus ◽

The Caspian Sea ◽

Economic Interests ◽

Oil Companies ◽

Caucasus Region ◽

Territorial Conflicts

The relationship between Iran, Turkey and the South Caucasus states have been influenced by an array of geopolitical, strategic, cultural, and economic factors. The competition between Iran and Turkey and their roles in the South Caucasus are best defined by traditional balance-of-power relations and the broader context of the post-Soviet era. This chapter unpacks the complex dynamics of pipeline politics in the South Caucasus region by underlying the need to understand the “Great Power Game” involving geostrategic and geo-economic interests of local governments, regional actors, global powers, and international oil companies. The larger focus turns on underscoring the importance of the region’s large oil and gas reserves; its land connection between the Caspian Sea, South Caucasus, and Europe; and its long-standing territorial conflicts in the post-Soviet era. Iran and Turkey have fought for influence in the South Caucasus while maintaining relatively good bilateral relationships in the region.

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The Great Game in West Asia

10.1093/oso/9780190673604.001.0001 ◽

2017 ◽

Keyword(s):

Foreign Policy ◽

Middle East ◽

Ethnic Heterogeneity ◽

The South ◽

South Caucasus ◽

Strategic Competition ◽

Regional Influence ◽

Policy Agendas ◽

Global Affairs ◽

Great Game

The Great Game in West Asia examines the strategic competition between Iran and Turkey for power and influence in the South Caucasus. These neighboring Middle East powers have vied for supremacy throughout the region, while contending with ethnic heterogeneity within their own territories and across their borders. Turkey has long conceived of itself as not just a bridge between Asia and Europe but as a central player in regional and global affairs. Iran’s parallel ambitions for strategic centrality have only been masked by its own inarticulate foreign policy agendas and the repeated missteps of its revolutionary leaders. But both have sought to deepen their regional influence and power, and in the South Caucasus each has achieved a modicum of success. As much of the world’s attention has been diverted to conflicts near and far, a new ‘great game’ has been unravelling between Iran and Turkey in the South Caucasus.

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