Iran and the Caucasus

Alex Vatanka
Jane’s Information Group

Richard Giragosian
Abt Associates, Inc.

Russia and Eurasia Program
Caucasus Initiative

Monday, February 14, 2005
2:00-4:00 p.m.
B1-C Conference Room

Despite the renewed focus on Iran in recent months, there has been little
attention devoted to the Iranian bid for regional influence in the South
Caucasus. Although not as threatening as the proliferation issue nor as
problematic as Iran’s relationship with Russia, there has been a significant
and steady drive by the Iranian regime for greater influence among its
northern neighbors Azerbaijan and Armenia. This trend, as well as the recent
visit to Tehran by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and the launch of the
long delayed Iran-Armenia natural gas pipeline, will be discussed by two
prominent analysts. The engagement by the Bush Administration and the
European Union to manage the Iranian challenge and the implications for
security in the Caucasus will also be examined.

Alex Vatanka is an editor and analyst with the Jane’s Information Group in
London, overseeing “Jane’s Sentinel Russia and CIS Security Assessment”
series, and is Jane’s resident expert on Iran. Responsible for monitoring
and identifying significant developments in international security, Vatanka
regularly authors articles on international affairs issues for “Jane’s
Intelligence Review” and “Jane’s Defense Weekly” and is interviewed by
broadcast news media worldwide. His most recent publication was “Iran:
Brinkmanship,” in “The World Today,” a publication of the Royal Institute of
International Affairs.

Richard Giragosian, a Washington-based analyst with Abt Associates, Inc., is
a regular contributor to Jane’s Information Group as well as other
publications including Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). He has
also published articles in The Journal of Slavic Military Studies,
Transitions Online, the Asia Times Online and the Harvard International
Review, among others, and has contributed chapters to three books dealing
with the South Caucasus. He is also a guest lecturer for the U.S. Army’s
John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center & School at Fort Bragg. For nine
years, Giragosian served as a Professional Staff Member of the Joint
Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress.

PLEASE RSVP TO ANASTASIA HANDY BY FEBRUARY 11:
EMAIL: ahandy@csis.org, TEL: (202) 775-7322

Anastasia Handy
Research Assistant
Russia and Eurasia Program
Center for Strategic and International Studies
Phone: (202) 775-7322
Fax: (202) 775-3199