While the eyes of many have been on the US, Ukraine, Russia, Iran, Israel, Gaza, the wider Middle East and much more, the southern Caucasus, that collection of states composed of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, have been roiling between order and disorder — and attracting the attention of many power players. In Georgia, the Russia-backed government is cracking down on opposition leaders, while Armenia is in political disarray following Azerbaijan’s military offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023.
Traditionally the playground of Russia — either as the Russian Empire or the Soviet Union — all three states are currently in flux, attracting the attention of Turkey, the US and the EU. Russia, on the other hand, immersed in its insane war on Ukraine, has lost its grip.
Apparently insignificant states and regions have a nasty habit of suddenly coming to the fore, dominating the agenda and changing geopolitical focus. The southern Caucasus may be ripe for such a twist, not least as the war in Ukraine drags on, dragging Russia ever further away from prosperity and regional domination.
To understand these fascinating dynamics, ELN Senior Associate Fellow Ilana Bet-El is joined by the excellent Tinatin Japaridze, YGLN member and Eurasia analyst at the Eurasia Group. With fascinating insights into each state and the region as a whole, she helps clarify why Russia is on a losing pitch in the South Caucasus, the West is on the up, democracy does not always deliver, and peace is necessary — if elusive.
This episode was recorded 10 July 2025, and we will be back in September after a short summer break!
Mentions
- Jailing of opposition politicians in Georgia
- Zangezur corridor
- Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
- Tinatin’s previous Women Leaders episode
Follow
- Tinatin Japaridz LinkedIn, X/Twitter, Eurasia website
- Tinatin’s book Stalin’s Millennials: Nostalgia, Trauma and Nationalism
- Instagram @women_leaders_podcast
- Ilana Bet-El
Credits
- Production: Florence Ferrando
- Music: Let Good Times Roll, RA from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-roll License code: ZXIIIJUU2ISPZIJT
Image credit: Florence Ferrando
The European Leadership Network itself as an institution holds no formal policy positions. The opinions articulated above represent the views of the authors rather than the European Leadership Network or its members. The ELN aims to encourage debates that will help develop Europe’s capacity to address the pressing foreign, defence, and security policy challenges of our time, to further its charitable purposes.
