External Political Actors and Influences in the South Caucasus

Abstract

The paper focuses on the means and forms of external influence on political regimes and state policies, mainly considering the case of the former Soviet republics of the South Caucasus, with special focus on Georgia. This topic is particularly interesting due to the specific vulnerabilities of the region with regards to such multiple factors of external influence as: complex geopolitical environment -due to the location at the crossroads and peripheries of important geopolitical regions; totalitarian legacy as reflected in the weakness of institutions and the post-totalitarian political culture; ethno-territorial conflicts; undeveloped and imbalanced economy. The case of these republics is important, also, as an interesting example presenting a multitude of rather diverse forms of external influence, and secondly, because of the potential to have an impact on political events at much greater scale.