Does that mean Moscow had given up on Georgia? Far from it. Moscow may have adopted a more gradual and sophisticated approach, but the objective remains the same: subjugating Georgia and thereby asserting Russian hegemony over the Caucasus region, thereby blocking Western access to the Caspian basin and Central Asia.
Thursday, 12 February 2015 13:50
A Western Strategy for the South Caucasus
By Svante E. Cornell, S. Frederick Starr, and Mamuka Tsereteli
February 2015
The South Caucasus is key to Western efforts to shape intersection between Europe, Eurasia and the Middle East, and to Western commercial and strategic access to and from the heart of the Eurasian continent. Yet far from developing, Western influence in the region is at an all-time low. As Western influence has declined, and partly as a consequence of it, the region’s development has stagnated. This situation is the result of a lack of strategic vision in the West and to a series of tactical errors. This paper analyzes the shortcomigns of western policies, and offers proposals for a new Western approach to the region.
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Sunday, 08 February 2015 20:32
Understanding Turkey's Tilt
Turkey has never been an easy ally for the United States.The key question for American policymakers is whether dealing with Turkey today is fundamentally different than it has been in the past. In the Journal of International Security Affairs, Svante E. Cornell argues Turkey has indeed changed in ways that cause fundamental harm to the U.S.-Turkey alliance. Click here to download.
(Image: Thierry Ehrmann, used under license.)
Friday, 16 January 2015 09:19
Dueling Mosques and an American Beacon in Afghanistan
The Saudis and Iranians are building outposts in Kabul. Meanwhile, a U.S. university there needs bolstering.
Sunday, 09 February 2014 15:41
Erdogan Loses It
Erdogan Loses It
How the Islamists Forfeited Turkey
The Turkish state changed hands a decade ago, when Islamic conservatives (supported by the liberals) prevailed in elections against the country’s old guard, the rightist nationalists known as Kemalists. It may be about to do so again. The conservative alliance of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the movement of Fethullah Gülen, a Muslim cleric who leads his congregation from self-imposed exile in the United States, has imploded. As it does, the military is gearing up to insert itself into politics once more.
Wednesday, 10 December 2014 20:49
Georgia: Another Target in Russia's 'Near Abroad'
European Affairs
`Perspectives: Georgia—Another Target in Russia’s “Near Abroad”
Svante E. Cornell, Director of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Program
Russia went to war with Georgia in 2008, in a manner that, at least with the benefit of hindsight, appeared a trial run for this year’s invasion of Ukraine. Since then, Russia has stirred trouble in Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Azerbaijan, and as far as the Baltic States, while bankrolling right-wing extremist parties in European Union countries. It is remarkable, however, that after the 2008 war, Georgia seemed off the target list.
