Defense Institution Building in the Caucasus to Promote Regional Stability

The Capstone project for RAND that analyzed the methods of and opportunities for promoting positive international behavior of the three Caucasian countries - Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia - through their membership in NATO's Partnership for Peace program. In particular, the Capstone team researched the security, economic and international context of each Caucasian nation; researched the regional policies of the three large regional powers - Iran, Turkey and Russia - and their influence on the three Caucasian countries; analyzed US interests in the region and the ideal international behavior the United States should seek to elicit from the three countries; and provided policy recommendations on how to best deploy the tools available to the Department of Defense and make suggestions for other options to increase regional stability and meet US goals.