Transactional Diplomacy and Business Style: The Trump Administration in Central Asia

For Israel, the Trump administration’s shift in Central Asia toward business-oriented initiatives and transactional diplomacy may prove broadly advantageous. Israel itself has pursued a comparable approach in the region. At present, Central Asian states are actively seeking to expand economic and diplomatic engagement with Israel. In this context, the administration’s operational style in the region can be seen as largely compatible with Israeli approaches.

Armenia at the Crossroads: The Perils of Strategic Ambiguity

As Yerevan simultaneously pursues a Trump-brokered peace with Azerbaijan and deepens ties with Tehran and Moscow, Armenia risks squandering historic opportunities while aligning with declining powers.

Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and the Abrahamic Accord 2.0

The return of Donald Trump to the White House has reenergized U.S. efforts to expand the Abraham Accords into a far more ambitious geopolitical framework. What began as a set of normalization agreements between Israel and key Arab partners is now evolving into a wider strategic architecture spanning the Middle East, the South Caucasus, and Central Asia. This report explores the opportunities and tensions emerging from this shift, with Kazakhstan’s unexpected early entry marking a significant new phase.

Kazakhstan’s Accession to the Abraham Accords Rewrites Eurasia’s Strategic Balance

Kazakhstan’s decision to join the Abraham Accords did more than place its signature on yet another international agreement. It re-arranged the mental map of Eurasia. Kazakhstan has just opened a new corridor of cooperation between the Muslim world and Israel, and between Central Asia and the West. If the United States is wise enough to follow through, the region may finally step into a more stable and prosperous era.

Diplomacy of Central Asian and South Caucasus States in Summer–Autumn 2025: Multivector Foreign Policy in Action

The core element in the foreign policy of post-Soviet countries in Central Asia and the South Caucasus is so-called multivectoralism: maintaining relations with multiple global actors without binding themselves exclusively to any single one. These states seek to balance ties with the China–Russia axis and the collective West (including the USA and the EU—although it should be noted that the internal fragility of this grouping has never been as evident as it is now).

The Armenian-Azerbaijani Conflict: The End of the Beginning or the Beginning of the End?

On August 8, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to the White House, where the two leaders signed a joint declaration on peace, ending nearly four decades of bitter conflict between the two post-Soviet states in the South Caucasus.

Azerbaijan, Armenia and the Abraham Accords: A Harmful Precondition

A trilateral meeting of the leaders of the United States, Azerbaijan, and Armenia is anticipated in Washington on August 8. The agenda encompasses potential reconciliation between Baku and Yerevan, as well as a possible declaration concerning Azerbaijan's admission to the Abraham Accords. What are the reasons for not conflating these two processes?

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.

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.

Greenland: The Strategic Center of the High North

Growing competition in the Arctic Circle is putting Greenland's strategic position on the public agenda. The Arctic island, which is under Danish sovereignty, is vital to American interests given the military presence of Russia and China and the nearby shipping lanes. These interests are leading to secret understandings between Denmark and the US.