There are no good alternatives to Russian influence in the Caucasus
Western analysts portray Moscow as a negative regional force, but the US and EU should be careful what they wish for.
Artin DerSimonian is a junior research fellow in the Eurasia program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. He earned a Masters of Science in Russian, East European, and Euraisan studies from the University of Glasgow in 2022, where his thesis focused on ‘The Decline of a pro-German Foreign Policy in late Imperial Russia, 1978-1890.
Western analysts portray Moscow as a negative regional force, but the US and EU should be careful what they wish for.
Can the US and Europe exert more pressure on Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh blockade without restarting a war?
But that doesn’t mean the United States should try to replace any Russian role there.
The recent strikes by Azerbaijan beyond Nagorno-Karabakh show the frightening potential for war on Russia’s periphery to spread.