Executive Summary: In the lead-up to the October parliamentary elections in Georgia, the ruling Georgian Dream (GD) party is campaigning to obtain a “constitutional majority” despite showing concern about the possibility of losing power amid decreasing approval ratings. The pro-Western opposition in Georgia is fragmented... MORE

Executive Summary: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to Islamabad and the trilateral meeting of Azerbaijan, Pakistan, and Türkiye in early July highlight growing cooperation in various fields among the three countries in trying to gain more influence over regional trade and transit. Baku and Ankara... MORE

Executive Summary Armenia plans to replace its aging Soviet-era Metsamor nuclear reactor by 2036 and is currently engaged in talks with other countries, including Russia and the United States, to replace it. Armenian Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan announced that talks with the United States... MORE

Executive Summary: Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is moving Armenian foreign policy away from traditional alliances with Russia and Iran, favoring closer ties with the West which could be an important paradigm shift in its foreign policy after dependence on Moscow and Tehran. Yerevan’s new... MORE

Executive Summary: In the last two weeks, Azerbaijan’s ties to China and Iran have warmed significantly, with Baku and Beijing declaring a strategic partnership and Baku and Tehran announcing the reopening of an Azerbaijani embassy in Iran.  In the South Caucasus, these accords will affect... MORE

Executive Summary: The United States announced an indefinite postponement of joint military exercises with Georgia that were originally scheduled for the end of July due to Tbilisi’s adoption of the Russian-style “foreign agents” law. Georgia is heavily reliant on Western, specifically US and EU, funding... MORE

Executive Summary: The United States has expressed that it is willing to support the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, highlighted in US Deputy Secretary of State James O’Brien’s recent visit to the two countries. Washington views the peace process between Baku and Yerevan as... MORE

Executive Summary: The Caspian Sea region looks to become an international energy hub as the European Union seeks alternatives to its energy dependence on Russia through the export of natural gas from littoral Caspian Sea states. Moscow is concerned about the prospect of the Caspian... MORE

Executive summary: Following the adoption of the “foreign agents” law in Georgia, the ruling Georgian Dream party has adopted the first reading of a bill and 18 legislative acts restricting the rights of sexual minorities. Georgian experts believe this legislation plays on the conservative views... MORE

Executive Summary: Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka recently made a series of public pronouncements that have provoked Armenia and Israel and placed Belarus in an even more precarious geopolitical position. Lukashenka’s flippant comments in Azerbaijan, tense relationship with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and series of... MORE