Modern geopolitical conjuncture in the Caucasus region

Abstract

The Caucasus region, situated between Europe and Asia, has historically been an area of great strategic importance and a hotbed of competition between regional and global powers. In recent decades, this region has undergone significant transformations that have altered the geopolitical landscape. Specifically, the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 marked a turning point that led to the formation of new independent states but this process rekindled latent ethnic and territorial conflicts. Since then, the Caucasus has become an arena of increasing geopolitical complexity, where the economic, political and security interests of multiple actors are intertwined. Then, the article analyses the place of the Caucasus region in the geopolitical struggle, revitalized in the 21st century by a fundamental change in the configuration of the balance of power and the political and geographical borders of the states located in this region. It examines how the dynamics of the “New Great Game” unfold in the contemporary Caucasian context. The aim of this analysis is to provide a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities that the Caucasus presents in the emerging world order of the 21st century, and to consider the long-term implications of current geopolitical realignments for the stability and development of the region.

Keywords: Post-Soviet space, Caucasus region, International and Regional Security, Geopolitics.