The Caucasus Chronicles: Where East Meets West in the Geopolitical Circus

Over the years, telling apart the country Georgia from the U.S. state Georgia was a hassle for global media. They used to call the country a "post-Soviet entity" until the 2008 war with Russia cleared up the confusion for Americans. Now, Georgia, along with its neighbors Armenia and Azerbaijan, gets noticed for its role in the Middle Corridor, a trade route. But not everyone realizes that this region has been important for centuries, playing three key roles: connecting economies, acting as a buffer between Europe, Russia, and the Middle East, and marking the border of different civilizations.

Understanding this region isn't easy, but let's start by picturing it mentally. The Central Caucasus, made up of Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, is a mix of cultures, languages, and religions stretching between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea.

In geopolitics, the idea is that each era has its own way of looking at the world map. Back in the 19th and early 20th centuries, when maritime power and control over the Heartland were big deals, the Central Caucasus didn't get much attention from the West.

But historically, this region mattered a lot to three big powers: the Persian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Russian Empire. By the 1800s, it was already a buffer between Orthodox Christianity and the Muslims of the Middle East. And Russia saw it as a way to expand its influence and access resources like oil and copper.

After World War II, things changed with the Cold War. Geopolitics became all about the rivalry between Communism and Western Democracy. When the Soviet Union took over the Central Caucasus, it became less important to the rest of the world, just serving as a border between Europe and the Communist bloc.

But by the 1980s, with the Cold War ending, things started shifting again. People like Samuel P. Huntington said conflicts would happen more along cultural lines than political ones. And the Central Caucasus, sitting between Orthodox Christianity and Islam, became a focus for understanding cultural differences and potential conflicts.

When the Soviet Union broke up, Russia lost a lot. Its borders shrank, and it lost influence and resources. So, it's keen on keeping control over the Central Caucasus. Russia sees any foreign influence in its "near abroad" as a threat to its security.

The region isn't just important to Russia, though. The U.S., EU, China, Turkey, and Iran all want a piece of it too. They see it as a way to expand their influence and access resources.

For instance, Iran has interests in the region, especially since it's friends with Armenia and Russia. Turkey wants to counter Russia's dominance, so it's involved too. And the EU sees the region as a potential partner and a way to ensure energy security.

But not everyone in the region wants to align with one of these big players. Azerbaijan, for example, wants to cooperate with everyone rather than taking sides.

Overall, the Central Caucasus is like a stage for a big geopolitical drama. Major powers are competing for influence, while the countries in the region try to balance their own interests with those of their powerful neighbors. It's a complex situation that affects not just the countries involved but also global security in the 21st century.