Armenia, the Regional Powers, and the West Between History and Geopolitics [Paperback]

This work represents the first systematic study of Armenia's foreign policy during the post-independence period, between 1991 and 2005. It explores four sets of relationships with Armenia's major historical 'partners': Russia, Iran, Turkey and the West (Europe and the United States).Russia: 'The Indispensable Ally?' Turkey: 'The Other' Iran: 'The Permanent Alternative' The West: 'The Ambiguous Modern' Conclusion: 'Ideational Redlines' and 'Structural Dynamics'

Mirzoyan's book is an analysis of the last fifteen years of Armenia's relations with regional and global powers, Turkey, Iran, Russia, and the West. This book's great strength is that it elucidates the formation of the international identity of one country, Armenia, rather than the role of the region, the Caucasus, in international relations. The analysis of their foreign policies towards the Southern Caucasus, and Armenia specifically, on the other hand, illustrates how the global informs the local and vice versa. The author's family history in Nagorno-Karabakh, her life in Armenia up to 1994 and her continuing contacts with personnel of the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs provide valuable insights available to few others. - Patrick Dale, St Olaf College

ALLA MIRZOYAN?is Associate Program Manager at the?Cooperative Grants Program.