Euro Atlantic (Nato) and South Caucasian

After the collapse of the Soviet Union new independent states appeared. Fall of the Soviet Union has changed the international system totally. Meantime, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) changed itself and its cold-war mission since Soviet danger removed. During the cold-war NATO tried to undertake the security of Euro-atlantic area against the Soviet threat. More to the point, disappearence of the Soviet Union made the transformation inevitable for NATO. This transformation process has included the enlargement of the membership. New members are subjected to many conditions such as common security, democratization, rule of law, free market economy relations, human rights, freedom, integration to the world and NATO’s criteria. NATO transformation policy has targeted good relations with Russia as well.

Firstly NATO began relations with Russia. Russia Federation does not threat Europe anymore as it was case during the Soviet Union but one cannot doubt that it is threatening European benefits in south Caucasian region. In South Caucasian region there are three countries situated; Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia. These countries are considered as backyards of owned by Russia. Actually, Russia obviously declared this by adopting its ‘near abroad’ policy in the early 1990s. Near abroad policy was planned to maintain Russian influnce over former Soviet Union countries which are independent now. South Caucasus plays the role of bridge between Europe and Asia. NATO’s enlargements have become to be bordered with Russia in South Caucasus which gets Russia to worry about further NATO enlargements. However some agreements signed between NATO and Russia. For example, Founding Act signed in May 1997. According to this act NATO and Russia agreed to work together on several issues that are: political and security related issues, including peacekeeping, nuclear safety, defence conversion, arms control and environmental protection. Thus NATO guaranteed the future of European security and to certain extent it’s benefits in south Caucasian region against Russian threat.

One can ask what the factors that make South Caucasus very important are. First, South Caucasian region traditionally played important role as a transit corridor for centuries since it has been crossing point among Middle East, Europe and Asia. And apart from that, it has become very crucial energy center after the fall of the Soviet Union. More specifically, collapse of the Union allowed the new states to attract Foreign Direct Investment to the region. Attraction of foreign investment, mostly with the Transnational Oil Companies, increased the importance of the region. Besides, increased demand for oil supplies in world market cannot be overlooked as a factor that adds to the importance of the region. More openly, second factor behind the importance of the region is its rich oil and gas resources. So far many projects either already realized or planned to transfer the oil and gas from the region to the promising European Market. Complicated regional cooperation and competition is easily discernable in the region.  Region has very good location in terms of capability to transfer Central Asian energy resources to the European market as well.

The Euro Atlantic security involves USA, NATO and OSCE. These triple and other actors are seeking to shape security in the region. Thus they believe that they will protect their benefits. To this end, these actors have to be settled in the South Caucasus in order to realize their policy.

As already noted, energy is the major concern that makes the region very crucial. Energy issues always are combined with security. And therefore NATO and USA have to produce new policy for the South Caucasus security. Thus, NATO created new concept related to political targets, socio-economic targets and benefits for Caucasians. The new concept is called weak state or failed state. NATO considers South Caucasian countries as Weak State or Failed State. Under this concept NATO claims that it should undertake the security of weak states

Actually, at the beginning of 1990’s NATO did not have any clear policy towards South Caucasus? It had twop reasons. Firstly, they occupied with internal problems among themselves. Second, at the meantime NATO was discussing its new objectives and missions that to be formulated for the future. Meanwhile the newly independent states of South Caucasus are mostly preferred to have good relations with Russia. The main priority of Euro Atlantic Allies (USA as leader) has been to shape and orient security policies towards Russia. Consequently still their perspective and approaches base on Moscow.

Euro Atlantic Allies formulated special policy for South Caucasus. For instance, NATO has begun to appoint a Caucasian representative. Meanwhile USA also appointed Caucasian representative. By this NATO has passed to new order with South Caucasian countries.

First of all Euro-Atlantic world wants to remove failed state or weak state perspectives. According to this concept NATO and Caucasian countries were working together. NATO prepared some projects for these countries and these projects include development of democracy and human rights, establishment and settlement of rule of law, associative struggle against terrorism and radical Islam and providing political stability.

Supposedly, NATO’s transformation policy and its security projects thattargeted South Caucasus also have affected social transformation in the region. Following the social transformation they are seeking establishment and settlement of market economy. In addition, they decided to struggle against illegal migration. Solving conflicts among Caucasian countries and modernizing army and providing border security occurred as a new associate between Euro Atlantic institutions and Caucasian countries. All of these efforts are attached importance to the Euro Atlantic Institution. In this perspective Euro Atlantic world and South Caucasian countries set out together for coordination and realization of their targets. This process or project includes three Caucasian countries in security sense. That is why this is very important. Although Armenia has special relations with Russia, it takes part in this project.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has named NATO integration as a top foreign policy priority for Azerbaijan. Ex President of Armenia, Robert Kocaryan, said that we do not want to become member of NATO but we are takeing part in security cooperations. President of Georgia, Mikhail Saakasvili, apparently pursues the policy of becoming the member of NATO.

References:

·                    Staring Down the Russians

By Zbigniew Brzezinski

·                    Experience of Azerbaijan in Defence and Security Sector

Reform: The Role of PFP and IPAP

Dr. Javanshir Mammadov

·                    Guney Kafkasyadaki Devletlerin Dış Politikası

Dr. Erel Tellal (Translated to English)

·                    Azerbaijan and NATO enhance cooperation News

18/05/2004 – NATO

·                    Elman Khudan Nasirov Associate Professor (Kandidat)

Web links

·                    United States Institution For Of Peace/ (PFP)

·                    Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)

·                    North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

NATO International