Perspectives

An Oligarch Rising: for Armenia and Russia 

Georgian Play Examines Illegal Migration to America

Today hundreds of Georgians are sneaking into the U.S. from Mexico, but one Georgian who blazed that trail 20 years ago is now able to tell her story.

Changing Times in Nakhchivan

Iran’s Continuing Crack Downs and Their International Effects

How the War in Ukraine Has Exposed Georgia's Fault Lines

21 Azer – a Historical Conundrum for the Azerbaijani-Turk Community

Prospects of an Armenian Lead, Russian Private Military Company in Karabakh

The Use of “Passportization” in Perpetuating Unrecognized Separatist States

Driving to Shusha – a Personal Experience

Putin Has Handed Washington an Opportunity in the South Caucasus

An Armenian Family from Baku – Alex Mnatsakanov’s Story

Is Russia Trying to Spoil EU-mediated Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Talks?

Roads and Corridors Between Azerbaijan and Armenia

EU Mediation is Taking a Leading Role in Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Negotiations

Cyber Warfare – Iran, Demonstrations, Exploding Steel Plants and the Albanian Connection

Turkic Ties and Their Influence in The Caspian Region 

The Protests in Iran and Azerbaijani Turk Civil Rights Activists

​​​​​What Does the EU Have to Gain from the Resolution of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict?

The History that Shaped Georgia's European Orientation

A Winner is Emerging from the War in Ukraine, but It’s Not Who You Think

Salman Rushdie Attack: the Legacy of the Decades-old Fatwa on the Author, Explained

Caught in Conflict: Ahiska Turks and the Russo-Ukrainian War

Canada’s Even-handed Role and Honest Brokering are Pivotal in Conflict-affected Countries

Armenia Pledges to Withdraw Armed Forces From Karabakh

More Russian Men Look to Avoid Military Service, Some Lawyers and Rights Groups Say

Developments in Lachin - Kichik Galadarasi, Sus and Zabukh

The Historical Background of Crimea’s Tatars

Former Chess Champion Kasparov Says Russian Opposition Can Only Exist Outside The Country

Russia Downplays Negative Economic Impact of Ukraine War for Its Central Asian Allies

Georgia’s Occupied South Ossetia Set to Hold a Referendum on Joining Russia: What Does it Mean for Georgia?

Global Illiberal Trends and the Case of Georgia

Illiberalism can be defined exactly as it sounds - opposition to or restriction of liberal ideas and actions.  The stance seems to be having its own global renaissance over the last few years. Emil Avdaliani explores how the phenomenon is playing out in the Caucasian country of Georgia.

Agdam – A Phoenix Preparing to Rise from the Flames

The War in Ukraine Threatens Tectonic Changes in the South Caucasus

Reza Baraheni, Writer, Poet, Literary Critic, and Public Intellectual: A Life-long Champion of Social Justice and Freedom of Speech

Turkey and Central Asia: Ukraine War Will Strengthen Ties

Putin, What Have You Done with My Russia?

Russian Family Prefers Exile to 'Unbearable' Pro-War Mood at Home

Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine Puts Georgia in a Difficult Spot

March Days: A Historical Overview of a Forgotten Tragedy

Armenia and Azerbaijan: Contrasting Approaches to Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

Tweeting in Solidarity: Turks Backlash Against Online Sexist Commentary Targeting Ukrainian Refugee Women

Filmmaking as a Way of Representing Our Experience of the World: An Interview With Mohammad Alimoradi

A Story of Friendship: Georgia and Ukraine Stand Together

Alexander Davitashvili meets up with a couple of Ukrainians stranded in Georgia.

Khojaly – 30 Years After the Massacre

#ManoFarsi – Hashtag Activists Addressing Linguistic Marginalization in Iran

Twitter is for fighting. Really?

The Troubled Story of the Tabriz Ark –Are There Deeper Meanings Behind Archaeological Insensitivity?

The 20th of January

A History of Displacement: Meskhetians in Azerbaijan and Ukraine Cling to their Identity

Turkey-Armenia Talks Hold Promise of Opening Long-Shut Border

Turkish and Armenian special envoys will meet in Moscow on 14 January to discuss normalising relations between these long-estranged neighbours. Crisis Group experts Olesya Vartanyan, Nigar Göksel and Zaur Shiriyev unpack how the end of the Nagorno-Karabakh war in 2020 opened the way for talks.

The Greener Grass or ‘The Stranger’s Crow’: Why Do Diasporas Romanticize Their Homelands?

Is Dialogue Viable Amid Continuous Bloodshed?

Arnold Alahverdian, the co-founder of Bright Garden Voices, an Armenian-Azerbaijani dialogue platform, comments on the challenges facing the project in light of recent violence between Armenia and Azerbaijan and explains why he maintains hope in what cross-border communication can accomplish.

The Influence of Turkey’s TV Series on Azerbaijani-Turks in Iran

Opinion | Back to the ‘No War, No Peace’ Limbo

By reversing the dynamic of ‘the victorious’ and ‘the defeated’, the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War revealed illusions and hypocrisies that suffused Armenia’s dominant narratives about the conflict. But despite this clarity, a new dynamic between Armenia and Azerbaijan has not developed.

Babes in the Dark Woods, Again - How Long Will Canada be a Pawn in the Canadian-Armenian Lobby’s Interests?

Duff Crerar shares his perspective on the effect of one-issue lobby groups on Canadian foreign policy.

Undocumented People in Iran – The Plight of the Baloch People

Ending Irredentism in the South Caucasus Will Bring Normalization of Relations

Can Modern Technology Help Build Trust Between Azerbaijan and Armenia?

Russia’s Failing Attempt to Maintain Influence in Georgia

Iran’s Full Membership in the SCO: A Win-Win Game?

Raisi Presidency Challenged to Tackle Three Major Problems Between Iran and Azerbaijan

Was James’s Cameron’s Multi-billion Grossing Movie Avatar Plagiarized from a Chechen Author’s 2002 Novel? The Courts Decide.

The Limits of “La Politique Du Pire”

Why Georgians Don’t Trust Russia: My Historical Overview

The relationship between Georgia and Russia has been a long and tumultuous one. Alexander Davitashvili takes a personal look through the history of the countries’ interactions and comes to his own conclusion.

Tajikistan Breaks From Neighbors in Policy Toward Afghanistan

The Battle of Shusha: Warcraft Has Changed, but Soldiers’ Sweat, Courage and Daring Remain Key to Military Success

Makhachkala – Much More than Russia’s Garbage Capital

Since 2016, Dagestan’s biggest city has been labelled the ‘garbage capital of Russia.’ But that’s not the impression I got.

Azerbaijan: What’s in a Name?

Pondering the etymology of the word “Azerbaijan.”

Who is “Caucasian?” I Thought I Was Before Moving to Canada

Kazakhstan Surges to Third Place in Global Crypto-Currency Production, Behind China and US

The Taliban Wants the World's Trust. To Achieve This, It Will Need to Make Some Difficult Choices

Turkish Pipeline to Nakhchivan Shakes up Power Relations in South Caucasus

How a Soccer Team Is Amplifying the Voices of Azerbaijani-Turks in Iran

Charles Michel Tries to Keep Georgia From Leaving the European Orbit

As the Taliban Retakes Vast Areas of Afghanistan, What Is the Effect on Neighbouring Countries?

Sometimes Peace Needs Quiet: Time for Calm in the Caspian Region

Fate of Ex-Soviet Exclaves Uncertain in the Wake of Armenia-Azerbaijan War

Many Azerbaijanis still harbor hopes of returning to their homes, now completely surrounded by Armenian territory. Armenians aren’t so sure.

Georgia, a Land of Political Theatre

Demonstrations, boycotts, EU mediation and new electoral systems: is Georgia experiencing dangerous polarisation or just the rough and tumble of an evolving democracy?

New Transport Routes in Central Asia and Caucasus Trigger Intra-Regional Competition

In the Karabakh Crisis, Canada Must Support Rules-Based International Order

Asking Canada to interfere in the crisis of Armenia's own making has nothing to do with Responsibility to Protect.

Russia, Turkey Compete to Entice Azerbaijan Into Their Geopolitical Plays

Kerkenj and Qizil Shafaq - The 1989 ‘Village Swap’ that Saved Two Communities

Iranian-Azerbaijani Relations Under the New Raisi Administration

Drowning in Orchards: Azerbaijan’s De-occupied Minjivan – a Personal Diary

Turkey Breaches Russia’s Sphere of Influence

What is Europe, Anyway?

An Azerbaijani view of the eternal conflicts between Europe and Asia

Border Conflict Compels Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to Look for Foreign Weapons

Armenia’s Elections: A Mandate For a Peaceful New Future?

Why is Erdoğan’s Visit to Shusha so Important?

Caspian Basin Central Banks Join the Central Bank Digital Currency Bandwagon

What’s going on today with cryptocurrencies around the Caspian Sea.

Lunch in Paris: Macron and Pashinyan

At a press conference with his Armenian counterpart, the French President’s comments excite news-sites in Yerevan. But is this simply a storm in a tea cup?

Task of Demarcating Armenian-Azerbaijani Border Made More Difficult by Armenian Politicization of the Issue, Russian Analysts Say

Smart Villages and Smart Cities: An Avenue for Reconstruction?

Funding the reconstruction of towns and villages will have to go well beyond replacing the stones and tiles, bricks and mortar of the physical structures. To ensure that people return to their long-lost homes, there will need to be economic opportunity.

The 28th of May

Azerbaijan's "Republic Day": the most powerfully symbolic date in the national calendar?

Poisoned Earth: The Futile Curse of Land Mines

“Today, on land that Azerbaijan regained after the 2020 Second Karabakh War, there are an evil pick-n-mix of landmines, pink-ribboned cluster bombs, grenades, and all. But Armenia is in no mood to give up the locations of this fearful harvest.”

Canadian Foreign Policy Can’t Simultaneously Support Territorial Integrity and Separatism

Biden Must Press Armenia to Hand Over Minefield Maps

Mines in Nagorno-Karabakh are killing civilians and troops.

What Do TAP Gas Deliveries from Azerbaijan Mean for European Markets?

TAP will catalyze further infrastructure connectivity in Southeast Europe (SEE) and the western Balkans through the building of new interconnectors.

Canadians and the Caucasus: How We Covered a War

Canadian peacekeepers have learned at great cost that simply drawing a line across the past only goes halfway to making a peaceful present and future.

Armenia Sends Soldiers Back into Karabakh

Such movements observed in February this year, could complicate implementing the trilateral declarations among Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia, thanks to which the military hostilities of the 2020 Second Karabakh War were ended.

How Caspian Basin Countries Can Rebound from a Covid-infected Economy

Overall, the Covid-19 pandemic must be taken as an opportunity for reflection across the region.