Small States, Russia and the West Polarity, Constellations and Heterogeneity in the Geopolitics of the Caucasus

List of Illustrations

Acknowledgements

Acronyms and Abbreviations

1.     Introduction

Part I: Frameworks

2.     Analytical Framework: Conceptualising Non-Western Small States

3.     Theoretical Framework: Constellation Theory

Part II: Understanding the Geopolitics of the Caucasus

4.     Russia’s Build-Up of Its Pole Position amid the Fluctuation of Tensions with the West

5.     Armenia’s Constellations and Its Responses to the Strategic Shocks

6.     Azerbaijan’s Constellations and Its Responses to the Strategic Shocks

7.     Georgia’s Constellations and Its Responses to the Strategic Shocks

Part III: Explaining the Geopolitics of the Caucasus

8. The Strategic Heterogeneity of the Foreign Policy Choices

9.     Conclusion

Biography

Eduard Abrahamyan is Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Security Analysis (Armenia) and Postgraduate Teaching Fellow at University College London (UK). He previously served as Teaching Fellow at the University of Leicester (UK) from 2021 to 2022, where he received his doctorate in politics and international relations in 2023. He obtained his master's degree from the University of Westminster (UK) in 2016, and a candidate of historical sciences degree from the Institute of Oriental Studies (Armenia) in 2009. From 2019 to 2021, Dr Abrahamyan served as Aide to the President of the Republic of Armenia on foreign affairs. In 2017, he was Rumsfeld Fellow and Visiting Scholar at the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute of the American Foreign Policy Council. He has contributed regularly to prominent think tanks and professional platforms, including the Jamestown Foundation, the American Foreign Policy Research Institute, the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, The National Interest and IHS Markit, among others.

 

Eduard Abrahamyan’s balanced and solidly researched analysis of the foreign policies of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia provides a much-needed new perspective on non-Western small states. The book is important for advancing the study of small state politics and for understanding the challenges and opportunities of small states in an international system dominated by great power politics.

 

Professor Anders Wivel, University of Copenhagen

 

 

Abrahamyan’s excellent book makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of the contemporary geopolitics of the Caucasus and non-Western approaches to IR. Grounded in the theoretical literature on small states, it examines the responses of the three South Caucasus states to the strategic shocks of 2008, 2014 and 2022, providing a thorough analysis of their diverse foreign policies. Essential reading for those seeking to understand what shapes the foreign policy choices of small states, as well as the complexity of the Caucasus region.

Professor Tracey German, King’s College London

 

 

In an era of increasing tension and war, Abrahamyan’s refinement of Constellation Theory in his Small States, Russia and the West with its criticism of prevailing IR systemic theory, should be a rich source of inspiration to students of small or medium states all over the world.

Hans Mouritzen, Danish Institute for International Studies

 

How do small states pursue their foreign policy interests in the face of pressures driven by great power competition? Combining his extensive context-based regional knowledge with an innovative theoretical framework focusing on the agency of non-Western small states, Eduard Abrahamian’s book offers new and original insights into the geopolitics of the South Caucasus. This is an important work for students and scholars both with an interest in this region and in contemporary approaches to International Relations.

 

Professor Bettina Renz, The University of Nottingham