The “new great game” in the south caucasus: competition for power and influence

Abstract

The South Caucasus has always been a playground of different rivals throughout centuries. Each rival endeavors to impose its rules and tries to capitalize on the geostrategic benefits of the region. The paper studies the rivalry of geostrategies in the South Caucasus region. The attitude of every external actor engaged in the region has been delineated. Their vested interests have been brought into focus and their influence has been relatively juxtposed with each other. The issue of energy transportation through the South Caucasus region is considered as a central element of clashing interests of the external actors. The authors attempted to compare the ongoing processes taking place in the South Caucasus with an “Old Great Game” and justify the presence of “New Great Game”. The recommendations have been made for the countries in the region to avoid the issues which are politically detrimental to their national security.

Keywords

• “new great game”, “old great game”, south caucasus, competition, confrontation