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NATO’s push into the Caucasus: geopolitical flashpoints and limits for expansion

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  • Paul Antonopoulos
  • Renato Velez
  • Drew Cottle

Abstract

The Caucasus has been a major flashpoint of contention between NATO and a resurgent Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The rivalry saw the escalation of hostility in the region during the brief 2008 Russo-Georgian War where a NATO-backed Georgia challenged South Ossetia supported by the Russian military. In 2011, NATO officially recognised Georgia as a potential member, challenging Russia’s traditional sphere of influence in the Caucasus. Moscow says the Eastward expansion of NATO into the Baltics and to include Georgia as a member state is a method of containing a resurgent Russia. However, the former Soviet Republics of Ukraine, the Baltics and Georgia, maintain that Russia represents a threat to their sovereignty, as seen by the Russian support of the breakaway unrecognised Republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. A hostile rivalry between the Russian-backed Armenia and Azerbaijan, which is reliant upon NATO-member Turkey, intensifies the polarisation in the Caucasus.

Suggested Citation

  • Paul Antonopoulos & Renato Velez & Drew Cottle, 2017. "NATO’s push into the Caucasus: geopolitical flashpoints and limits for expansion," Defense & Security Analysis, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 33(4), pages 366-379, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:cdanxx:v:33:y:2017:i:4:p:366-379
    DOI: 10.1080/14751798.2017.1379119
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