Berkeley Program in Soviet and Post-Soviet Studies

This paper discusses the survival of the post-Soviet Caucasus states and the post-Soviet reshaping of Eurasia under complex regional and domestic conditions. It also analyzes which particular institutions influence the success or failure of foreign policy strategies. It attempts to clarify why foreign policies are so dependent on the personal capabilities of leaders rather than on structural factors, and how former communist leaders have succeeded in breaking their countries' global isolation. It concludes by analyzing current challenges that the leaders of Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan face.