Why Azerbaijan Perfectly Fits Into the Abraham Accords Framework: Clarifications

For the last month, numerous US and Israeli publications mulled the initiative to integrate the Republic of Azerbaijan into the Abraham Accords. In our two previous papers on the issue, we described how deep the relations between Baku and Jerusalem are and brought up several recommendations on how to effectively engage Azerbaijan in Trump’s regional plans and for the sake of Israel’s interests.

China Seeks to Become the New Patron in Central Asia, Displacing Russia

Russia, which a dozen years ago aspired to be a major transportation corridor from the Pacific to the Atlantic, is gradually turning into a transportation and logistics desert. The new joint Chinese-Kazakh railroad project has become another stepping stone to exclude Russia from transcontinental logistics chains. At that, Russia loses not only Europe and the Far East as customers and partners: it also loses its leverage in the region it used to consider its fiefdom - namely, Central Asia.

Monthly Monitoring of Analytical Publications on Post-Soviet Conflicts

February is a time of plenty for the researcher of intellectual and academic thought. Publications are published that did not find a niche in the editorial plans of the previous year; yearbooks appear for which the publishers hold back the most interesting materials. This issue, unlike the previous one, talks more about conflicts within the states of the former USSR - cognitive, interethnic, interreligious and even ideological.

BESA Post-Soviet Conflicts Research Digest No. 17 (February 2025)

The PSCRP reports in February 2025, have covered the recent political developments in Central Asia, South Caucasus, and Russia. The PSCR program at the BESA Center is further continuing its mission of analyzing the most important sociopolitical developments in the post-Soviet region.

On China’s Territorial Claims Against the Russian Federation

A year and a half ago, in the summer of 2023, a forum titled "Yakutia and the Provinces of China: Sister-City Relations for Strengthening Russian-Chinese Relations" was held in Yakutsk. The ties between China and the Republic of Sakha continue to strengthen. It is also worth noting that directly south of Yakutia are Russian regions to which China has almost openly laid claim, as they were once part of the Qing Empire. From the Chinese perspective, Russia still occupies much larger Chinese territories, meaning historical justice has not been restored.

What are the Expectations from Trump in the South Caucasus?

The countries of the South Caucasus have approached Trump's presidency under vastly different circumstances, which is unsurprising given that this region has never been geopolitically unified. Until recently, Georgia appeared aligned with the West, Armenia with Eurasia, and Azerbaijan with Central Asia. The situation changed after 2020, when the 44-day war forced both Azerbaijan and Armenia to confront geopolitical realities, culminating between September 2023 and March 2024. The events of this brief period have presented the region’s countries with urgent challenges demanding immediate solutions.

The Pipeline Dimension of the Zangezur Corridor Project: History and Geopolitical Context

The rapid surge in the volatility of political processes globally, particularly in Israel's geopolitical landscape over the past two years, has brought about an unexpected outcome: longstanding geopolitical analysis methods, developed over decades, have started to fall behind the swift changes occurring in the very subject they aim to study. This fully applies to the analysis of the map of interests of the participants in the big game around the Zangezur Corridor—a 40-kilometer-long extraterritorial logistics route connecting two parts of Azerbaijan.

Alliances born out of radicalization: A look into the cooperation between indigenous secessionist movements in Russia

Secessionist movements have existed in Russia for as long as the Russian Federation itself. As of late 2021, pro-independence voices enjoyed little recognition outside of niche internet communities—mainstream ethnic activism criticized the government but not to the point of demanding secession. This started changing when Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The Congress of the Oirat-Kalmyk People provides an example of this shift.

How to Effectively Engage Azerbaijan in Trump’s Regional Plans and in Israel’s Interests: Practical Recommendations

The concept and recommendations presented below were developed by the authors, who are Israeli experts, based on discussions with several former Israeli diplomats and ex-Knesset members, as well as with several American and Azerbaijani Jews. What unites us all is a commitment to strengthening regional alliances and deepening Israel’s integration into the "Greater Middle East." Our approach is guided solely by the long-term interests of the Jewish state.

Turkmenistan’s Shift Towards The Moscow-Tehran-Beijing Axis

In the ongoing geopolitical conflict between Iran and Israel, Iran’s relations with post-Soviet states—especially those with which it shares a direct border—play a crucial role. The tensions between Iran and Azerbaijan are well-known to experts, same goes for Iran’s close ties with Armenia. However, a less frequently discussed yet highly significant aspect is the nature of Iran’s relationship with the third post-Soviet state with which it shares a border—Turkmenistan.