Small States in Great Powers’ Geopolitics: Armenia’s Role in the US Policy on the South Caucasus

Abstract

The paper examines the geopolitical importance of small states for great powers. The study focuses on the role and significance of Armenia – a small, landlocked state – through the evolution of American regional policy in the South Caucasus region.

Recognising the limited capability of small states, the paper argues that the geostrategic location enhances the small state’s importance to great powers, thereby strengthening the position of the small state in the international system. The article concludes that despite geographical isolation, economic weakness, and scarcity of human and natural resources, Armenia is an important country for US national interests. The US interest in Armenia is due to its important geopolitical location at the crossroads of rival geopolitical interests, a number of US strategic priorities in the South Caucasus, Eurasia, and the Middle East as well as Armenia’s proximity to energy resources in the Caspian region and other strategically important countries in the region. Another significant factor of the US interest in Armenia is the Armenian-American diaspora community, which projects a certain influence on US domestic policy and US policy in the South Caucasus.