Central Asia and the Transcaucasus

Abstract

Central Asia and the Transcaucasus form a strategic belt that arches from the Black Sea to China. Together with the southern shores of the Caspian Sea, three of the six Soviet successor states which comprise this area — Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkmenistan — wrap around Iran’s northern border. Iran’s attempts to develop relations with them are a direct outgrowth of several related developments: the dissolution of the Soviet Union; the penetration of the area by foreign governments and multinational corporations; and Iran’s own strategic, economic and political concerns. This combination of circumstances has led Iran to interact with the former Soviet republics in ways that can best be described as restorative, preventative, competitive and developmental.