The Washington Times Reports on the Vital Strategic Importance of Georgia

Across Europe and Asia, geopolitical strategies and approaches are readjusting and, as The Washington Times reports, they are puzzle pieces which “converge in the Caucasus region." The Caucasus includes three post-soviet nations, which are Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. 

Georgia is positioned on the Caucasus land-bridge between Europe and Asia, between the Black and Caspian Seas. Over the millenniums, it has been attacked by the Persians, the Ottomans, the Russians and the Mongolians. Every time, Georgians have pushed back their invaders, and in harsh fought battles they have liberated their country. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Georgia surfaced once again an independent, sovereign nation in the midst of this unstable crossroads.

“Georgia is the key” of the Caucasus. It is at the center of the action and the incentives for the United States could not be higher. China is astride Eurasia with its impressive Belt and Road Initiative. “Russia, in decline, seeks to attach itself to China’s dynamism while preserving a footprint as the hegemon of the post-Soviet space”, The Washington Times accurately analyzes the detrimental Russian presence throughout the region. On the other hand, it says, Central Asia shows its economic potential through important policy reforms, while Erdogan’s Turkey “flirts with new visions of its strategic importance in a non-European future.”

“Georgia has a stable and democratic government that has been working hard to forge closer ties with Western Europe and the United States, especially in recent years. However, this is a route that must be navigated with skill and precision,” Wes Martin, an analyst for the Washington Times, states

China, Russia, the United States and Europe all pursue opportunities to gain strategic advantage, enhance stability and promote economic development. These strategic routes intersect in the Caucasus, where all of the key players seek to “develop positions of political influence where the North-South and East-West axes overlap,” The Washington Times writes. 

As Washington’s relations with Armenia and Azerbaijan remain problematic due to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, ongoing since 1988 a “pro-Western Georgia alongside Israel is America’s most committed, reliable friend and ally in the wider region.”

By Beka Alexishvili