Politics

The South Caucasus Between Negative And Positive Peace: The Economic Architecture Of Transition

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By Leyla Mammadli for Aze.US The South Caucasus has entered a post-war phase. Yet this phase cannot fully be described as peace; rather, it represents a transition toward peace. The end of active conflict does not automatically produce stability. As Johan Galtung distinguished, the cessation of violence constitutes “negative peace,” while durable institutions, economic interdependence, … Read more

Iran’s Religious Influence Networks In Georgia’s Azerbaijani Community Draw Scrutiny

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Aze.US Events at a historic mosque in Marneuli have renewed debate over Tehran’s ideological reach in the South Caucasus and the potential implications for regional stability. Recent developments in the Georgian town of Marneuli, home to a large ethnic Azerbaijani population, have sparked renewed discussion about Iran’s religious and ideological influence in the region. During … Read more

Azerbaijan Places Digital Transformation at the Center of Its Economic Future

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Aze,US Digitalization, artificial intelligence, and data infrastructure are becoming central pillars of Azerbaijan’s long-term development strategy, President Ilham Aliyev said during a government meeting dedicated to the country’s new unified digital architecture. The discussion signaled a shift from isolated technology initiatives toward a systemic economic transition in which energy capacity, data infrastructure, and connectivity are … Read more

Russia Is Losing Its Periphery While the War Drags On

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Aze.US Nearly four years after the start of the war in Ukraine, the strategic question is no longer what Moscow hoped to gain, but what it has already lost. The answer is becoming increasingly clear: beyond battlefield costs, Russia is steadily losing influence across the geopolitical space that once formed its uncontested periphery. The South … Read more

After the Wars: Why the South Caucasus Is Entering a Structural Transition

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Aze.US Recent U.S. diplomatic engagement in the South Caucasus is often interpreted through the narrow lens of individual visits or short-term regional crises. A more durable reading suggests something different: the region is entering a structural transition shaped by the erosion of post-Soviet security arrangements and the gradual emergence of connectivity-driven geopolitics across Eurasia. For … Read more

The United States Is Not Returning to the South Caucasus – It Is Replacing the Old Order

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Aze.US The recent diplomatic activity surrounding U.S. Vice President JD Vance’s engagement in the South Caucasus is widely framed as routine outreach. In reality, it reflects something more consequential: the gradual replacement of the region’s post-Soviet geopolitical order. For decades, the South Caucasus operated within a familiar structure. Russia functioned as the primary security guarantor, … Read more

Iran Is Approaching Managed Change, Jafarli Says

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Aze,US Developments surrounding Iran increasingly resemble a scenario of gradual, negotiated transformation rather than abrupt collapse, according to REAL party chairman Natig Jafarli. He described current U.S. strategy as one of “quiet diplomacy,” where public rhetoric may appear confrontational while substantive negotiations proceed discreetly through diplomatic and elite channels. Washington’s primary objective, in his view, … Read more

The U.S. Is Shaping a New Security Architecture in the South Caucasus

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Aze.US The recent visit of U.S. Vice President JD Vance to the South Caucasus signals a deeper geopolitical shift than routine diplomacy, according to REAL party chairman Natig Jafarli. Jafarli argues that Washington is gradually constructing a zone of stability and cooperation in the region under U.S. strategic patronage, with Türkiye positioned as the key … Read more

What the United States Is Changing in the South Caucasus

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Aze.US The signing of a U.S.–Azerbaijan strategic charter signals a broader shift in regional security, transit, and geopolitical alignment. The visit of U.S. Vice President JD Vance to Baku and the signing of a strategic partnership charter marked one of the most consequential political developments in the South Caucasus in recent months. The document spans … Read more

Why 2026 Could Become a Turning Point for the South Caucasus

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Aze.US The geopolitical balance in the South Caucasus is entering a phase that analysts increasingly describe as transitional rather than merely tense. After several years marked by conflict, fragile ceasefires, and shifting alliances, regional dynamics are beginning to evolve toward something more structural: a gradual redefinition of influence, connectivity, and long-term security architecture. For Azerbaijan, … Read more