South Caucasus: More Secure with the New NATO Strategic Concept?, Spring 2010

For many years, the idea that NATO would address the security concerns of the South Caucasus and particularly Georgia vis-à-vis Russia erroneously held sway. Russia has repeatedly stated that it does not want to see any of its neighbors as a NATO member. While Armenia and Azerbaijan largely benefited from NATO military training programs and remained safe, Georgia's increasing cooperation with NATO worsened its relations with Russia and resulted in full-scale armed conflict. The New NATO Strategic Concept report, released by the Group of Experts on 17 May, rules out NATO membership for states in the Caucasus and calls for more cooperation with Russia, heralding a more secure region in the upcoming decade. This paper argues that NATO presence in the South Caucasus increases the likelihood of instability and insecurity.