Assessments

Democratic Republic of the Congo

United States

China

Taiwan

Greece

Armenia

Azerbaijan

Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin (C), Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan (R) and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev hold talks Oct. 31, 2022, in Sochi, Russia.

Military & Security

Politics

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Armenia's and Azerbaijan's Leaders Meet in Moscow, an APEC Summit in Detroit

U.S.-China Relations

Snapshots

Turkey

A photo taken on May 2, 2023, shows the new checkpoint set up by Azerbaijan at the entrance of the Lachin Corridor, the only land link connecting the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region to Armenia. 

A recent setback in budding Turkey-Armenia normalization could prompt Azerbaijan to more aggressively pursue its interests in Nagorno-Karabakh, raising the risk of a new conflict.

A Return to Icier Turkey-Armenia Ties Risks Emboldening Azerbaijan

Iran

A Russian peacekeeper guards the Lachin Corridor, the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region's only land link with Armenia, on Dec. 27, 2022. 

As peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan stall, violent flare-ups in the disputed territory and along their shared border are increasingly likely.

Reassessing the Risk of an Escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh

Azeri soldiers stand guard at a checkpoint at the Lachin corridor, the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region's only land link with Armenia, on Dec. 27, 2022. 

Tehran's push to fill the gap left by Russia in the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia could alter the balance of power in the region. 


What to Make of Growing Iran-Azerbaijan Tensions

Mexico

Malaysia

United Kingdom

Nepal

A Scottish flag painted on the Union Jack. The British Supreme Court on Nov. 23 will rule on whether the Scottish Parliament has the power to pass a law organizing an independence referendum.

The Weekly Rundown: Elections in Nepal, the U.K. Supreme Court Rules on a Scottish Independence Referendum

Brazil

Israel

Germany

Israeli far-right lawmaker and Otzma Yehudit leader Itamar Ben-Gvir (C) greets supporters during a campaign rally Oct. 28, 2022, in Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda Market. On Nov. 1, Israelis will go to the polls for the fifth time since 2019. 

Economics

The Weekly Rundown: Brazil Picks a President, Israel's Far Right Has a Chance at Power

A demonstrator holds a placard during a rally in Thessaloniki, northern Greece on April 24, 2021, to commemorate the 106th anniversary of the Armenian genocide. 

Despite recent moves, Armenia is unlikely to formalize ties with rival Turkey until there is greater progress made in Yerevan's territorial disputes with Azerbaijan. 

Azerbaijan Risks Spoiling Budding Armenia-Turkey Normalization

Lebanon

Pictures of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II in a window as members of the public wait in line to pay their respects to the late monarch Sept. 16, 2022, in London. The state funeral for Queen Elizabeth II will occur in London with hundreds of international leaders in attendance.

Energy

The Weekly Rundown: Israel Proceeds in a Disputed Gas Field, a Royal Funeral in England

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan (left), European Council President Charles Michel (center) and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev (right) pose for a photo in Brussels on April 6, 2022, before participating in EU-mediated talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute. 

Both countries’ implementation of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh cease-fire could pave the way for a comprehensive treaty that would bring stability to the South Caucasus and weaken Russia’s influence there.

What to Watch for as Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Talks Gain Momentum

Guidance

Europe

The Artemis I unmanned lunar rocket sits on the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Aug. 25, 2022, ahead of its expected launch on Aug. 29. 

Environment, Science & Technology

The Weekly Rundown: The U.S. Returns to the Moon, Armenia and Azerbaijan Return to the Negotiating Table

An Azeri soldier attaches Azerbaijan’s national flag to a tower near a town in Nagorno-Karabakh on Nov. 26, 2020. 

The latest cease-fire violations reflect Azerbaijan’s capacity to continue escalating the conflict with relative ease due to its superior negotiating leverage and military power.

In Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan's Seizure of Russia-Protected Territory Bodes Ill for Armenia

Security

The Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict

Media

Georgia

Podcasts

The Fight for Russia’s Borderlands

In this episode of Baker's Dozen, host Rodger Baker speaks with Lasha Kasradze, a Eurasia analyst who specializes in the Caucasus about Georgia and the tentative geopolitical situation of the Greater Caucasus, where great powers and lesser powers have been jockeying for position.

Baker's Dozen: The Geopolitics of Georgia

The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan issued expressions of optimism about a peace treaty despite verbally sparing in front of Russian President Vladimir Putin about the future of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and regional transit corridors, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported on May 25. 

Armenia, Azerbaijan: Leaders Mix Optimistic Talk With Open Argument in Moscow

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Washington, D.C., prior to a round of talks between the foreign ministers on a peace treaty and normalization of relations, Reuters reported on May 1.

Armenia, Azerbaijan: Blinken Facilitates Peace and Normalization Talks in Washington

Azerbaijan's state border service on April 23 established a border checkpoint on the Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Armenia with the Armenian-populated territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, Eurasianet reported the next day.

Armenia, Azerbaijan: Baku Erects Checkpoint on Lachin Corridor

Three ethnic Armenian security officials and two Azerbaijani soldiers died March 5 in a shootout in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, Reuters reported March 5. 

Armenia, Azerbaijan: Five Die in Nagorno-Karabakh Clash

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said his country would not renegotiate regulations surrounding the so-called Lachin corridor with Azerbaijan, Armenpress reported Feb. 22.

Armenia, Azerbaijan: Yerevan Rejects Baku's Offer to Renegotiate Corridor Checkpoints

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that his country presented Azerbaijan with a project for a comprehensive peace treaty, Al Jazeera reported Feb. 16.

Armenia, Azerbaijan: Yerevan Sends Latest Draft of Peace Treaty to Baku

A gunman attacked the Azerbaijani Embassy in Tehran, Iran, killing the head of security and wounding two guards, Al Jazeera reported Jan. 27.

Iran, Azerbaijan: Gunman Storms Azerbaijan's Embassy in Tehran

At an informal summit of CIS leaders in St. Petersburg, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told Russian President Vladimir Putin that ''the Lachin corridor is not under the control of Russian peacekeepers,'' meaning Moscow was not fulfilling one of its responsibilities under the 2020 cease-fire agreement that ended Armenia's 2020 war with Azerbaijan, the Moscow Times reported Dec. 27.

Armenia, Azerbaijan: Armenian Officials Continue to Blame Russia for Lachin Corridor Blockage

Afghanistan

Algeria

Antigua and Barbuda

Luxembourg

South Sudan

A view of the Register in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Angola

Argentina

Australia

Bahrain

Lithuania

Covering an area that spans the entire width of the continent beginning at the Sahara Desert and ending at the southernmost tip of South Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa is home to countless cultures, languages, religions, plants, animals and natural resources.

Barbados

Benin

Egypt

Maldives

Malta

Ukraine

Belize

Botswana

Brunei Darussalam

India

North Macedonia

Tajikistan

Bhutan

Bolivia

Burkina Faso

Cambodia

Iraq

The President palace in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

The administrative center of the Gakh region of Azerbaijan, located at the foot of the southern slope of the Greater Caucasus, on the river Kurhumchai.

Burundi

Finland

Cameroon

Canada

Jordan

Pakistan

Mir Castle in the Minsk region of Belarus.

Cabo Verde

Chile

Federated States of Micronesia

Kuwait

Liechtenstein

Sri Lanka

Central African Republic

Colombia

Fiji

Latvia

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Chad

Costa Rica

Indonesia

Libya

Comoros

Cuba

Czech Republic

Japan

A horse grazes in front of Kara-Kul lake in the Chon-Ak-Suu valley, 300 kilometers southeast of Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.

Morocco

Cote d'Ivoire

Denmark

Dominica

Kiribati

Moldova

Oman

Dominican Republic

Laos

Palestinian Territories

Djibouti

Ecuador

Holy See (Vatican City)

Qatar

El Salvador

Equatorial Guinea

Marshall Islands

Saudi Arabia

Eritrea

France

Grenada

Mongolia

Azerbaijan is located in the mountainous and strategic region known as the Caucasus, which lies at the intersection of Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The country is in many ways defined less by its own territory than by its powerful neighbors. To the north is Russia, to the south, Iran and to the west, Turkey. All three of these countries have controlled parts or all of modern Azerbaijan throughout its history. Most recently the country was ruled by Russia under the former Soviet Union, but all its neighboring powers retain substantial influence and continue to shape the country. Outside its mainland borders is Azerbaijan's landlocked exclave of Nakhchivan, which flanks its historic rival Armenia and borders Turkey and Iran. Within Azerbaijan is the Armenian exclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, a Soviet-era holdover that, along with Nakhchivan, creates major regional tension. From 1988 to 1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a war over control of Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan's capital city of Baku, located east along the coastline of the Caspian Sea, is where the country's economic, political and demographic resources are concentrated. Though the Caspian has no ocean access, Azerbaijan has been able to leverage its energy resources and location by building the Southern Gas Corridor energy route. This helps the country balance regional powers and maintain sovereignty from Russia in ways that neighbors Georgia and Armenia cannot. Despite this, Azerbaijan will always struggle with its position in a complex neighborhood, surrounded by larger powers. The country must maneuver carefully in order to preserve its independence.

Female

Male

SITUATION REPORTS

Armenia, Azerbaijan: Leaders Mix Optimistic Talk With Open Argument in Moscow

Armenia, Azerbaijan: Blinken Facilitates Peace and Normalization Talks in Washington

Armenia, Azerbaijan: Baku Erects Checkpoint on Lachin Corridor

Armenia, Azerbaijan: Five Die in Nagorno-Karabakh Clash

Armenia, Azerbaijan: Yerevan Rejects Baku's Offer to Renegotiate Corridor Checkpoints

Armenia, Azerbaijan: Yerevan Sends Latest Draft of Peace Treaty to Baku

Iran, Azerbaijan: Gunman Storms Azerbaijan's Embassy in Tehran

Armenia, Azerbaijan: Armenian Officials Continue to Blame Russia for Lachin Corridor Blockage

Forecasts

ANALYSES

SECTIONS

Explore

Subscribe

Help & Support