This work represents the first systematic study of Armenia’s foreign
policy during the post-independence period, between 1991 and 2005.
It explores four sets of relationships with Armenia’s major historical
‘partners’: Russia, Iran, Turkey and the West (Europe and the United States). Each
relationship reveals a complex reality of a continuous negotiation between ideas of
history, collective memory, nationalism and geopolitics. As a result, an important
conclusion of this work is that an analysis of a small state’s foreign policy is best
captured by looking at regional dynamics rather than more structural approaches to
international politics. For Armenia, this book argues that although its foreign policy has
been severely constrained, it was nonetheless adept at carving a space for action that
privileged the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh over other geopolitical imperatives.
Alla Mirzoyan received her PhD from Florida International University
in December 2007. She has taught various courses in International relations including
International relations of the Middle East. She currently works at the US Civilian
Research and Development Foundation in Arlington.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
Research Landscape 4
Basic Parameters of Armenia's Security Environment 9
Chapter Outline 16
1 Russia: "The Indispensable Ally?" 21
Introduction 21
History and Perceptions 22
The Battle of the Narratives 25
1991-1998; The Deem Reality 30
1998-2005: The End of Platonic Love 39
Conclusion 53
2 Turkey: "The Other" 55
Introduction 55
A Glance at History 59
1991-1998: The Chimera of "Pragmatism" 62
1998-2005: A Never Ending Story? 89
Conclusion 106
3 Iran: "The Permanent Alternative" 107
Introduction 107
Careful Engagement 108
Conclusion 132
4 The West: "Ambiguous Modern" 135
Introduction 135
Armenia and the United States 137
European Institutions 161
Conclusion 173
Conclusion "Ideational Redlines" and" Structural Dynamics" 175
Notes 179
Bibliography 215
Index 239
256 pages, Hardcover