Discussion
The South Caucasus stands at a critical strategic crossroads. Long shaped by external hegemonic influence and entrenched conflicts, the region is currently undergoing profound transformations in its security landscape. The gradual erosion of Russian dominance—accelerated by Moscow’s preoccupation with its war in Ukraine—has created power vacuums that external actors are competing to fill. At the same time, regional actors and local states are seeking to redefine their strategic positions, in some instances, establishing or renewing alliances. Meanwhile, progress in the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as prospects for the reestablishment of communications in the South Caucasus, may soon create a new reality in the region. This roundtable examines how these shifts are reshaping the regional order, security architectures, and the agency of local actors.
The roundtable will explore several interconnected themes: the strategic consequences of declining Russian security guarantees; the growing roles of actors such as the EU, the US, Türkiye, and Iran; and how small states like Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan recalibrate their defense and foreign policies in response. As part of this recalibration, some states and actors are evolving military strategies, procurement choices, and developing new multilateral security formats that sometimes bypass traditional great-power-centric frameworks.
By integrating perspectives from both Strategic Studies and critical approaches to security, especially research which recognizes the importance of Area Studies, the roundtable seeks to move beyond conventional geopolitical binaries and orthodox theoretical accounts of the South Caucasus that are commonplace in mainstream International Relations (IR). It will analyze how shifting power hierarchies interact with unresolved conflicts, weak institutions, and new projects designed to encourage connectivity, producing both risks and opportunities for regional stability. Rather than viewing the South Caucasus merely as an object of external influence, the panel will highlight the agency of local actors and their efforts to navigate uncertainty through strategic diversification, defense transformation, and normative (re)alignment.
The roundtable will contribute to broader debates about the reconfiguration of regional orders in post-hegemonic contexts. The South Caucasus, situated between Europe, Russia, the Middle East, and Central Asia, offers a revealing case of how peripheral regions are increasingly central to global security transformations.
