A broken region: evaluating EU policies in the South Caucasus

The South Caucasus is a broken region characterised by local tensions and conflicting influences of large regional actors – the European Union, Russia and Turkey. The EU remains highly attractive to South Caucasus societies but its technocratic and government-focused policies have failed with Armenia and Azerbaijan, while reform in Georgia remains fragile. Furthermore, the region remains volatile due to the high potential for domestic instability; inflammable protracted conflicts; and Russia’s heavy influence. The EU, therefore, needs to do three things: develop more flexible country-specific policies (alongside renewed multilateral engagement); encourage the reform of local security sectors; and place societies at the core of its approach to the region.