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The South Caucasus is entering a phase of geopolitical recalibration that is both overdue and transformative. For more than three decades, the region was locked in a structural paralysis shaped primarily by the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. The Karabakh conflict created a logic of fragmentation that dictated political behavior: Armenia’s reliance on Russia hardened, Azerbaijan’s access to…
On 13 January 2025, Topchubashov Center Director Rusif Huseynov participated in the meeting of the Peace Bridge Initiative, a direct communication platform bringing together representatives of Azerbaijani and Armenian civil society. The meeting was attended by members of the initiative and representatives of Azerbaijani non-governmental organizations (NGOs), who discussed the activities of the Peace Bridge…
On 22 December 2025, Topchubashov Center hosted a meeting with the winners of the Politicon Writing Competition. Within the framework of the competition, a large number of articles were submitted to Politicon. Among these submissions, articles that stood out for their quality and content were published on the website, and four of them were selected as…
Iran’s humiliating military setbacks during the twelve-day war, compounded by deepening economic strain under the renewed maximum-pressure campaign, have forced an internal reckoning in Tehran over the country’s domestic social contract and its regional posture. The debate is no longer confined to how Iran should absorb external pressure, but whether the political and economic foundations…
On 12 December 2025, Topchubashov Center, in partnership with the John Lukacs Institute for Strategy and Politics (JLI) at Ludovika University of Public Service (NKE), co-hosted an international conference entitled “Conflict and Coexistence in the Near East: Contemporary Dynamics.” The event was held at the John Lukacs Lounge of the Ludovika Side Building in Budapest….
The year 2025 marked a period of adjustment and consolidation in Azerbaijan’s foreign policy. From its immediate vicinity to neighboring regions, Baku approached its external environment not as a challenge to be reacted to, but as an emerging architecture to be proactively shaped in line with its vital interests. The formalisation of peace with Armenia…
Before the 2020 Karabakh War, the Armenia–Azerbaijan Track 2 diplomacy existed more as an aspiration than a lived reality. Dialogues were episodic, heavily mediated by third parties, geographically distant from the region, and largely disconnected from actual decision-making. Mutual visits were rare to the point of being unthinkable – exceptional and often sensationalized – and…
On 17 December 2025, Topchubashov Center’s Research Fellow Mahammad Mehdiyev delivered a presentation at the ASIAC Conference held in Venice. He presented his research titled “Cartographic Controversies: Google Maps and the Geopolitics of Place Names in Conflict Zones,” in which he examined how digital mapping platforms represent disputed borders and place names, and how these…
As Western sanctions on Russia intensify, targeting not only the country’s financial apparatus but also major companies and energy champions such as LukOil, Rosneft, and Gazprom Neft, the Black Sea has become the most dynamic fault line in Europe’s reconfigured energy landscape. The accelerated withdrawal of these Russian companies from the region is not simply…
On 10 December 2025, Topchubashov Center Director Rusif Huseynov joined a panel session entitled “The Armenian-Azerbaijan peace process – From frozen conflict to hot peace.” Hosted at the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs, the panel also featured Armenian, Georgian, and Hungarian experts. In his remarks, Rusif Huseynov assessed the peace process and connectivity between Armenia…
