Where worlds collide
Geography should make the Caucasus rich and happy. History and politics make it poor and miserable. Russia’s willingness to try to change this will be the first big test of President Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy
THERE are more than 3,000 kilometres (1,800 miles) of international borders in the Caucasus. Only the smallest, the 9 km stretch between Azerbaijan's Nakhichevan province and Turkey, is truly friendly. The two countries understand each other linguistically, economically, politically and, increasingly, militarily. A former adviser to the Azeri president has even suggested a confederation, creating a short cut for Azerbaijan into NATO and, eventually, the EU.
This article appeared in the Briefing section of the print edition under the headline “Where worlds collide”
Briefing August 19th 2000
From the August 19th 2000 edition
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