Michael Cecire

Georgia's recent announcement of its intention to contribute to the EU military operation in Mali signals not only Tbilisi's continued role as a supplier of forces for Euro-Atlantic security missions, but also the Georgian military's ambitions as a niche counterterrorism force. To support these ambitions, the Defense Ministry is embarking on a series of reforms to fit its force structure to this mission set. more

With only days to go before Armenia’s presidential election, all signs point to the re-election of President Serzh Sargsyan. Continuity in Armenia’s foreign policy is likely under a second Sargsyan term as Armenia continues to balance opening to the West with its longstanding loyalty to Russia. However, the one potential for significant geopolitical change after the voting is in Armenia-Turkey relations. more

The implication that the government of Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili could be building a haven for Iranian anti-Western activities is unsubstantiated and ignores the previous government’s many overtures toward Tehran. However, there are legitimate concerns that Iranian investments in Georgia could help the Islamic Republic to evade the crippling international sanctions regime. more

Among the many questions as to what comes next for Georgia, the country’s geopolitical direction under billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili’s Georgian Dream coalition has become the subject of extensive inquiry and supposition since his victory in last week's elections. Ivanishvili has reiterated his support for continued Euro-Atlantic integration. Some wary Western observers are not convinced, however. more

As Turkey’s once-hailed approach to foreign policy flounders in the Middle East, the spirit of “zero problems” continues to consolidate gains in other neighboring areas, notably the Caucasus. Georgia has become a particular beneficiary of Turkey’s Caucasus strategy. For Turkey, Georgia is a fundamental part of its regional energy strategy and an important buffer between it and historical rival Russia.
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In late-June, Turkey and Azerbaijan signed accords green-lighting the $7 billion Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP). While the deal has been described as a deathblow to the once highly touted EU-backed Nabucco pipeline consortium, TANAP’s emergence alongside a host of other alternative and unconventional energy options is also endangering Russia’s near-monopoly in the European natural gas market. more

With Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on a tour of the South Caucasus last week, hopes that she could use the visit to push for regional peacemaking were quickly overcome by events on the ground. Though Clinton’s meetings in Georgia were mostly low key, the brittle cease-fire between Azerbaijan and Armenia was tested by a series of clashes, fueling fears that another Caucasus war was in the offing. more

Despite parallel histories and a concerted push on both sides to forge lasting ties, Georgia and Israel face very different geopolitical concerns and increasingly conflicting national interests. Indeed, their partnership, which once seemed so natural, now looks permanently derailed. The August 2008 Russia-Georgia War, in particular, was the beginning of the end for Georgia and Israel’s friendship. more

As tensions over Iran’s nuclear program rise, assertions that Israel’s increasing closeness to Azerbaijan represents the emergence of an anti-Iran “tag team” are gaining currency. But despite warming ties, there is no indication that Baku is in any hurry to sacrifice its national interests by participating in a conflict that could possibly drag it into a regional conflagration. more

The Oval Office meeting between U.S. President Barack Obama and Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili on Jan. 30 has already been chalked up as a major victory by Tbilisi, with increased defense ties the centerpiece development. Yet aside from an oblique reference by Saakashvili to “elevating our defense cooperation further,” details on any changes in the military relationship have been scarce.
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The standoff between Ukraine and Russia over gas prices will be accompanied by an added wrinkle this year, with news that Ukraine plans to ink a deal with energy-rich Azerbaijan for supplies of liquefied natural gas. The partnership will finally introduce unconventional energy sources to Ukraine, and underscores the flagging fortunes of Russia’s pipeline monopoly and the dwindling leverage it commands. more

With Russia embroiled in demonstrations following surprisingly competitive Duma elections and South Ossetia gripped by political confusion over its own surprising presidential poll, it may be time to re-evaluate a few political tropes in Eurasia. The developments are all the more noteworthy for coming as Georgia faces a political showdown that is casting the republic’s autocratic contours into sharp relief. more

The latest front in the Arab Spring opened up in Kuwait when Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed Al Sabah issued a decree dissolving Kuwait’s parliament in response to months of protests. more

Recent remarks by a prominent Saudi Arabian royal have fanned new fears that Iran's advancing nuclear program could kick-start a nuclear arms race in the region. more

A memorandum of understanding between the Armenian Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources and the Isle of Man-registered International Minerals & Mines Ltd. is paving the way for the exploration of Armenia's shale reserves. Should large-scale commercial extraction proceed, Armenia's energy find could grant the landlocked Caucasus nation a measure of energy independence and, with it, newfound geopolitical freedom. more

Allegations of Russian involvement in a bombing targeting the U.S. embassy compound in Tbilisi, Georgia, have sent diplomatic shockwaves through international policy circles and threaten the Obama administration's carefully calibrated "reset" program with Moscow. While the details of the incident underscore the Caucasus' still-smoldering volatility, they are consistent with Russia's longtime activities in the region. more

Georgia's image as a lonely bastion of Western-style modernity in the South Caucasus faces a credibility problem in light of Tbilisi's continuing lack of political progress toward a truly liberal democracy. By allowing Georgia's democratic development to remain at a standstill, President Mikheil Saakashvili risks damaging the country's legitimacy, both domestically and with its partners in the West.
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Against the backdrop of the Middle East's ongoing upheaval, especially the violence in neighboring Syria, Turkey's once-vaunted "zero problems" foreign policy strategy now looks severely outdated. Though Turkey will continue to seek a balanced, multivector foreign policy, the liabilities of its strategy, as illustrated in Syria, have laid bare Ankara's continued Western moorings. more

The U.S.-led intervention in Libya is now in full swing, thanks to a 10-0 vote by the U.N. Security Council. But the seeming unanimity of the vote belies key abstentions from a wary Germany as well as Brazil, Russia, India and China -- the so-called BRIC countries. The BRICs' abstentions raise difficult questions about the future of a rules-based international order at a time of relative U.S. decline. more

TBILISI, Georgia -- Since coming to power in 2003, the government of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has declared its desire and intention to bring the country into the West's orbit. That goal has been most visibly illustrated by Georgia's efforts to join the NATO alliance as a full member. But geopolitical realities continue to interfere with those plans, forcing Tbilisi to adjust its foreign policy accordingly. more