Document Type : Research Paper
Abstract
Collapse of the Soviet Union has transformed power relations and balance of forces at regional levels. Furthermore, the regional and trans-regional powers that had been previously deprived of playing a key role by the former Soviet Union, were given the chance to increase their influence in south of the former Soviet Union. This is while Iran and Turkey have started fierce rivalry to influence over Central Asia and the Caucasus. These two regional countries neighboring Central Asia and the Caucasus enjoy long standing geographical and historical background and age-old civilizations. Thus Understanding the basis of Iran and Turkey foreign policies on Central Asia and the Caucasus and the factors affecting them are of great significance. The current research aims to assess the basis of the foreign policies adopted by Iran and Turkey as the influential factors in convergence or divergence of these two countries in Central Asia and the Caucasus in line with their capabilities. It also analyzes consequences of the policies adopted by these two countries in regard to the combinational theory. The main question of the current research is: What is the basis of foreign policies adopted by Iran and Turkey in the new geopolitics of Central Asia and the Caucasus. The research attempts to analyze foreign policies of Iran and Turkey in the light of four common variables of the New Theory2 including patterns of amity and enmity between the states, mutual and heavy dependence, geographical proximity, economic and geopolitical factors of power, i.e. rich energy resources, transit routes, etc.
Keywords
)