US Foreign Policy Objectives and the Geopolitical Role of the South Caucasus in the 21st Century

The role of the United States in the South Caucasus region is a complex and multifaceted issue. As the South Caucasus was considered as part of the USSR it was not perceived as separate region until the breakup of the Soviet Union which influenced and shaped the US policy vis-à-vis three South Caucasus nations.
After the collapse of the USSR, global powers started to face a more fractured world and the USA stepped up its engagement with the South Caucasus. Simultaneously, other world players started to gain ground with Russia seeking to restore its erstwhile sphere of influence, employing different instruments to this aim.
This work offers an overview and characteristics of the United States foreign policy with respect to the three South Caucasus nations (Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan) and vice versa. It also includes description of Russian influence in the South Caucasus and the Kremlin’s efforts to hinder and undermine their development.
This paper for the master degree is interesting for its novel approach in re-thinking the role of the South Caucasus in US overarching foreign policy doctrine and seeks to put different lights onto those political nuances which have been afflicting the South Caucasus countries since the very first days of their independence.