Turkey in Transcaucasia: a big power or an outsider after the collapse of the Soviet Union

Abstract

The whole purpose of undertaking this study lies in the necessity of assessing the new geopolitical environment created after the collapse of the Soviet Union – a major superpower that shaped not only the regional politics of Transcaucasia but also had a vast impact on the international scene. Being a part of Transcaucasia, Armenia, as well as the other two republics, Georgia and Azerbaijan, is vulnerable to the new influences emanating both from the Christian West and the Muslim East. And it is the latter that is the focus of this study since the relations with the Muslim states in general and Turkey in particular have been full of tensions. Turkey, as one of the regional actors, has constantly aspired to acquire dominance in the region, and its chances have considerably increased after the demise of the Soviet empire. So it remains to be seen whether Turkey will be allowed by the rest of the regional actors to realize its ambitious plans and what consequences may ensue for Armenia in the new political environment.