Transcaucasian States: Historical Perspective and Policy Recommendations

Executive Summary: Transcaucasian States

The Transcaucasian states of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia are ancient nations that have historically struggled with domination by outside powers. Lying on a geopolitical fault line separating Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, the region has quickly gained importance in recent years due to the presence of large oil reserves, the breakup of the Soviet Union, and the global war on terrorism. Although these nations are now politically independent, they face pressure from foreign powers as they attempt to develop. Moreover, their particular histories may well lead them in separate directions despite the West's tendency to view them as a single unitary region.

In the post-September 11 era, a new set of policies should be developed in order to meet the objectives of the West. These objectives should include stabilizing the governments of the three statesùenabling them to capitalize on their importance to the oil industry as either oil producers or managers of pipelinesùand ensuring that regional powers such as Iran and Russia are not antagonized by either the American military presence in the region or the perception that the West wishes to exploit oil resources.

Prior to the 1990s, the West had little or no interest in the Transcaucasian region. Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, which histo

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Rome, Byzantium, Persia, and the USSR all performed this function at various points. Armenia's main nemesis in the modern era was been Turkey, especially during the Ottoman Empire period (1453-1918). Ottoman rule was particularly repressive in Armenia, where Armenians were subjected to religious discrimination, heavy taxation, martial law, and a general policy of persecution directed from Istanbul, culminating in the 1915 genocide. With the defeat of the Central Powers in November 1918, the Ottoman Empire disintegrated and Armenia gained independence. Independence would be short-lived, however, as Armenia was invaded and occupied by the Soviet Army only eighteen months later. Moscow solidified its control over Armenia and Transcaucasia by forming the TSFSR in 1922. In 1936, Moscow reorganized the territory and Armenia became a constituent republic within the USSR. Finally, Armenia gained independence after the breakup of the USSR, seceding from the Soviet Union in September 1991. Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan, like its Transcaucasian neighbors, has come under the influence of various Eurasian powers, beginning with the armies of Alexander the Great in 330 BC. In the modern era, Azerbaijan was protected from Ottoman expansion by the ru
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Approximate Word count = 2236
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page)