Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili is in Washington for talks with top-level Bush administration officials on expanding strategic and economic cooperation. The Georgian leader's US visit is coming at a time of geopolitical uncertainty in the Caucasus, with Moscow and Washington potentially on a collision course.
The growing economic rivalry between the United States and Russia for influence in the Caucasus and Central Asia is prompting policy-makers to turn to century-old notions for guidance as they develop responses to geopolitical developments.
Turkish officials view the recent leadership turnover in both Azerbaijan and Georgia as a diplomatic opportunity to promote stabilization in the strife-prone Caucasus. In particular, Ankara wants to act as a conflict mediator, with the aim of smoothing the way for pipeline construction in the region.
US official are warily monitoring a policy debate in Russia over how Moscow should deal with its former Soviet neighbors. Many in Washington believe that the strong showing by nationalists in the recent Russian parliamentary election could prompt the Kremlin to toughen its stance towards states in the Caucasus and Central Asia.
Russian policy makers are relying on the precedents established by the US military campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq to justify Moscow's own push to forge a "liberal empire" in the Caucasus and Central Asia. Recent Russian activity in Georgia and Kyrgyzstan underscores Russia's new imperial tactics.
An acquisition binge has put a Russian company in position to dominate potential Caucasus power exports. At the same time, the business moves can enhance the Kremlin's ability to project its political power in the region.
EurasiaNet: Could you review current Georgian-Russian relations? Is it possible to predict developments? Japaridze: To come to the heart of the relations between Georgia and Russia, you have to take into account two fundamental and lasting trends. ...
International human rights and environmental groups have criticized the proposed oil pipeline that will run from the Azerbaijani port city of Baku to the Turkish port of Ceyhan.
The $3 billion, 1,800-kilometer "Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan" pipeline is due to be completed in 2005. It is one of the biggest foreign direct investments planned for the region.
NATO Secretary General Lord George Robertson's recent tour of the Caucasus confirmed the Atlantic alliance's growing interest in promoting regional stability. It also left officials in Azerbaijan and Georgia increasingly optimistic about eventual NATO membership.
Governments in Central Asia and the Caucasus tightened security precautions March 20 after US President George W. Bush ordered the start of a military offensive to oust Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. Only two states Georgia and Uzbekistan firmly back the Bush administration's war effort. Others are increasingly wary of the conflict's potential consequences.
