Executive Summary: The Charter of Strategic Partnership between Armenia and the United States, signed in January 2024 under the then-outgoing administration, aligns with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s strategy to reduce Armenia’s dependence on Russia, despite Moscow’s concerns and diplomatic engagements following the signing. The charter... MORE

Editor's Note: This article reflects an Armenia analysis of the peace process with Azerbaijan. A similar article reflecting an Azerbaijan analysis of this issue is available here. Executive Summary: Amid the ongoing peace process, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan published an op-ed on Armenia’s perspective... MORE

Executive Summary: The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) faces growing challenges in expanding its influence, as key neighboring states, including Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, resist full membership. Russia’s geopolitical ambitions through the EAEU are hindered by competing regional forces, particularly the People’s Republic of China’s growing investment... MORE

Editor's Note: This article reflects an Azerbaijan analysis of the peace process with Armenia. A similar article reflecting an Armenia analysis of this issue is available here. Executive Summary: Armenia and Azerbaijan remain at an impasse in their ongoing peace process, facing the conditions of... MORE

Executive Summary: The Organization of Turkic States (OTS), comprising Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye, Uzbekistan, and observers, is leading efforts to enhance the Middle Corridor. This initiative aims to bolster regional connectivity, mitigate trade disruptions from geopolitical instability, and develop sustainable, competitive transport networks through multilateral... MORE

Executive Summary: Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has made another move to subordinate Ingushetia (a neighboring republic within the Russian Federation) by organizing talks intended to create a Chechen-controlled muftiate in Ingushetia.  Kadyrov’s efforts to gain leverage over Ingushetia may be initially successful because of the... MORE

Executive Summary: Abkhazia, a break-away territory controlled by Russia, is preparing for decisive presidential elections on February 15, which could determine the future trajectory of the separatist region’s foreign policy and relationship to Moscow. Russia is supporting pro-Moscow candidate, former vice-president Badra Gunba, in the... MORE

Executive Summary: The Georgian government, led by the Georgian Dream party, is implementing stringent new media censoring laws that ban foreign financing and introduce regulations for journalistic ethics. Critics fear Georgia's hard-won free media is endangered as these moves signal the erosion of democratic values... MORE

Executive summary: Russia’s strategic interest in the Republic of Georgia has been reenergized as Tbilisi drifts away from the European path and abstains from joining Western sanctions against Russia. A fundamental factor in Moscow’s current view of Georgia is the former’s lack of effective leverage... MORE

Executive Summary:  Russian military losses typically have affected Russia and its neighbors at home even more than Russian victories. Moscow is now worried that the ouster of Bashar al-Assad will influence the post-Soviet space and Muslim regions in Russia. To reduce these dangers, the Kremlin... MORE