On 28 March 2018, the European Neighbourhood Policy Chair organized a round-table debate entitled: "The role of regional and global actors in the South Caucasus". The debate, organized in the framework of the fifth edition of the Natolin Neighbourhood Days, took a bird’s-eye view of the South Caucasus and proposed a discussion of the crucial role of regional and global actors in the region, the dense web of interdependent relationships and the constellations of power and influence which shape patterns of security and conflict, as well as authoritarianism and good governance.
The College of Europe in Natolin had the pleasure to welcome at the debate Dr Tracey GERMAN, Deputy Dean of Academic Studies, Defence Studies Department, King’s College London; Prof. Dr Mustafa AYDIN, Rector at Kadir Has, University Professor, Department of International Relations, Istanbul; and Ms Yana ZABANOVA, Research Fellow, Governance in Emerging Economies Project, University of Groningen.
This round-table debate aimed to not only disentangle the intricate network of alliances and competing relationships between the South Caucasus and external actors, but to also inquire into the effects of power asymmetries and the extent to which Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia are merely defenseless pawns, devoid of agency, in the geopolitical contests of the great powers.