Books and Articles

Executive Summary: Baku and Bishkek elevated their relationship to an alliance at the end of July during a meeting between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan. Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan’s strengthening relations are occurring alongside increased engagement between Azerbaijan and Central Asia as a whole through growing engagement in organizations…

Despite its status as the biggest example of regional integration, the European Union remains greatly affected by internal divisions. These continue to threaten the EU’s pursuit of strategic actorness, a complex process the primary aim of which is to establish Brussels as an autonomous decision-maker on the international stage. Divisions between member states are wide-ranging,…

Key Takeaways: India’s rising economic power has fostered overconfidence, leading to strategic setbacks as New Delhi overestimates its geopolitical leverage and fails to convert growth into effective global influence. Assertive Hindu-nationalist diplomacy, zero-sum rivalry with Pakistan, and multi-alignment (including continued Russian oil purchases) have strained ties with the United States, alienated neighbours such as Bangladesh,…

Relations between Tbilisi and Ashgabat are taking on new geopolitical content against the backdrop of Irakli Kobakhidze’s recent visits to Ashgabat. The Georgia-Turkmenistan Business Forum, organized jointly by the Georgian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Turkmenistan, was held in Tbilisi, coinciding with the 35th anniversary of the…

Key Takeaways: Azerbaijan and the five Central Asian states are forming a new “C6” regional architecture that treats the Greater Caspian area as a single geopolitical and geo-economic space, moving beyond traditional Central Asia-only frameworks. Expanding bilateral alliances, strategic partnerships, and flexible minilateral formats (such as Azerbaijan–Turkmenistan–Uzbekistan and green-energy trilateral deals) are laying the practical…

Key Takeaways: Azerbaijan dominates regional transit infrastructure: With fully operational East-West (Middle Corridor) and North-South routes, expanded BTK railway (now 5 million tons capacity), and Port of Alat upgrades (to 25 million tons), Azerbaijan handles millions of tons of freight annually and continues expanding an existing network. Armenia’s “Crossroads of Peace” initiative faces severe constraints: Mountainous terrain,…

Executive Summary: Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Baku on June 22, where they signed 13 agreements expanding cooperation in energy, transport, customs, industry, and diplomacy, institutionalizing a broader strategic partnership amid shifting Eurasian dynamics. Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan prioritized trans-Caspian transport integration by advancing customs modernization, port cooperation, and east–west…

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s visit to Azerbaijan and Armenia this month has reignited conversations about the nature of the EU’s role in the South Caucasus. At face value, the European Union continues to devote increasing attention to the region. In the past few months, politicians in Brussels appear to have acknowledged the…

Key Takeaways The definition of a middle power has shifted from material size and military strength to behavioral traits like niche diplomacy, norm entrepreneurship, and proactive international engagement. Azerbaijan increasingly qualifies as a modern middle power through energy diplomacy, regional connectivity projects, hosting global events (COP29), and acting as a bridge-builder. This reflects a broader…