THE MAIN DIRECTIONS OF U.S. REGIONAL POLICY IN THE SOUTH CAUCASUS (1991–2000)

Abstract

With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the South Caucasus effectively entered the U.S. foreign policy agenda as a new subject with which the United States had no prior experience of engagement. There were no clear conceptions regarding the South Caucasian states, their systems of governance, ruling authorities, or political expectations. During the seventy years of the USSR’s existence, the primary focus of official Washington had been Moscow, while the approaches and positions adopted toward the other Soviet republics and regions were directly shaped by the dynamics of U.S.-Soviet relations.

This article presents the main directions and targets of U.S. regional policy in the South Caucasus during the post-Soviet period, within the context of establishing and developing relations with the newly independent states of Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan, and ensuring the foundation of legal and treaty-based frameworks. The research combines historical, comparative, and analytical methods, and includes content analysis of a number of documents, including bilateral agreements and treaties.

The aim of the study is to examine the full context of the factors that underpinned the establishment of relations between the United States and the three South Caucasian countries in the post-Soviet period, as well as the development of official Washington’s regional policy in line with American foreign policy principles and approaches.

Achievments:  In line with the foreign policy agenda shaped after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, official Washington adopted similar approaches and principles in building relations with the three South Caucasian countries. As with other newly independent regions and states, U.S. efforts in the South Caucasus primarily focused on strengthening security guarantees, promoting democratic values, and encouraging market economies. The cooperation model adopted by official Washington simultaneously addressed the fundamental challenges of the newly independent states and reflected the U.S. vision for long-term regional engagement—built on legal and treaty-based foundations, balanced approaches, and the cultivation of mutual trust.