The three small countries comprising the South Caucasus – Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan – illuminate the uncertainties and challenges facing foreign policy decisionmakers globally as they grapple with fluid notions of world order. In the aftermath of the bipolar Cold War-era, old verities no longer apply as Russia, Turkey, and Iran wrestle for regional influence and advantage in the South Caucasus, while Europe, China, and the United States offer rival strategic perspectives from afar.

​Moreover, the three South Caucasus states face bloody domestic challenges to their unity and integrity by the largely unrecognized break-away statelets of Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Nagorno-Karabakh. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has further complicated the domestic, regional, and global challenges facing these three fascinating countries. Why should we care? Because the South Caucasus might serve as a useful bellwether to help us decipher larger, complex geopolitical trends.

Speaker: Ron McMullen is the University of Iowa's Ambassador in Residence and is an Associate Professor of Practice.