‍Central Asia and The Caucasus Journal

Abstract According to the history of European diplomacy, Russia's security hinges on its strategic influence in Central and Eastern Europe. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia's strategy to regain its position and security in Central and Eastern Europe raised concerns among countries in the region. In this regard, the Ukraine crisis in 2014 and the annexation of Crimea by Russia posed serious challenges to the security of the region and Europe as a whole. Consequently, countries in the region turned to forming regionalism patterns characterized by an anti-Russian stance to balance against Russia's power and influence. The Russia-Ukraine war in 2022 further aligned and synchronized anti-Russian behaviors in multilateral regional frameworks. Considering these factors, the question arises: How has anti-Russian regionalism in Central and Eastern Europe threatened Russia's national interests? The research hypothesis posits that anti-Russian regionalism in Central and Eastern Europe has threatened Russia's national interests and security through the political, military, and economic convergence of the regional countries. The research findings indicate that developing strategic relations among Central and Eastern European countries through tripartite cooperation triangles, regional organizations, and multilateral initiatives aimed at balancing against Russia has created military-security, political, and economic threats to Moscow's national interests in the region. The research method is qualitative with an analytical-explanatory approach, using the realist theory of balance of power to explain the subject.

Abstract This study examines the impact of the C5+1 Initiative on Central Asia's security structure from its establishment in 2015 to 2024. The main objective is to analyze how this initiative has influenced patterns of security cooperation and competition in the region. The theoretical framework combines Regional Security Complex Theory, the concept of securitization, and reference group theory, enabling a comprehensive examination of the region's security dynamics. The research methodology is based on qualitative content analysis of official documents and reports, as well as review of secondary sources including academic articles and analytical reports. Findings indicate that while the C5+1 Initiative has brought about changes in the region's security structure and increased strategic options for Central Asian countries, it has also created challenges in maintaining these countries' independence of action. Although effective, this initiative has not played a decisive role in shaping the region's security future. The increasing competition among great powers in the region has formed complex security dynamics that require intelligent management by regional countries. Results suggest that the future security structure of Central Asia will be shaped by a complex interaction between cooperation and competition, with the C5+1 Initiative potentially serving as a catalyst for this interaction. The long-term success of political and security initiatives in Central Asia depends on addressing the region's real needs, balancing the interests of great powers with the independence of regional countries, strengthening intra-regional cooperation, and developing domestic capacities.

Abstract Russia's military attack on Ukraine and the annexation of the four regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia to the Russian Federation is considered the largest military conflict in Europe after World War II, which explains why the military confrontation between Russia and Ukraine and the annexation of these regions to the Federation makes it necessary. Therefore, the main purpose of this article is to answer the questions that firstly, why Russia decided to attack Ukraine and annexed Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia to the Russian Federation and secondly, what are the causes of the spread of the crisis and the success of these annexations? In response to this hypothesis, the reason for Russia's decision to attack Ukraine and annex these areas to Russia was to eliminate the threats caused by Ukraine's possible membership in NATO, also, the changes in the common values and norms between Ukraine and Russia during the crisis and commonalities and links between the Russian society and the societies of these regions have played an important role in the spread of the crisis and the success of annexations.To answer the research questions, the method of multiple case study and theories of balance of threat and constructivism have been used. The data was also collected in a library method and analyzed with a descriptive-analytical approach. The findings of the article shows that both material and immaterial factors played a role in Russia's military attack on Ukraine and the annexation of these areas to the Russian Federation.

Abstract Hybrid war, has a high importance in the foreign policy of countries, and ,the majority of countries seek to make maximum use of this concept in order to secure their interests. Therefore there is a need to deeply examine the understanding of countries (especially powers) from this concept. For this purpose, explaining the hybrid war from the perspective of Russia, as one of the most important powers of the current international system, is of special importance for the I.R Iran. The main goal of the research is to discover and explain Moscow's understanding of the concept of hybrid warfare. This applied research has been done by exploratory-inductive method. In addition to its documentary tools, which consist of previous literature and Russian documents, this research has also used field tools with a statistical population of 30 people. The results of this research show that due to extensive investment and special attention to the hard and soft components of power, Russia now has the highest capabilities in the military, security and cyber fields and has made significant progress in the media, economic and political sectors. This has significantly increased Moscow's initiative to repel hybrid threats and countermeasures in this area, and has made hybrid warfare an important tool in the relations of this country. Hybrid warfare is a very vital concept in Russian security documents, and identification of hybrid threats and maximum preparation against them is one of the most important security priorities of the Kremlin.

Abstract Nowruz is one of the ancient rituals that is celebrated every year with the beginning of the spring equinox in Iran and the countries affected by the Iranian civilization as well as Turkey. Nowruz is a cultural phenomenon and can be a key element for connecting the countries that organize it. As two neighboring countries, Iran and Turkey have always had social, economic and cultural relationships with each other. One of the most important common cultural elements between Iran and Turkey is the ancient Nowruz. The question of the present article is what are the similarities and differences between Nowruz in the two countries of Iran and Turkey and how is the role of Nowruz in the cultural diplomacy of the two countries evaluated and what are the common cultural lines between Iran and Turkey. It seems that according to the importance of soft power and cultural manifestations, Nowruz can help to deepen cultural relations between Iran and Turkey. The ceremony of welcoming Nowruz, house shaking, Haft Sin table, buying new clothes and seeing and visiting relatives are among the common features of Nowruz between the two countries. From the point of view of differences, Nowruz in different parts of Iran and Turkey has differences regarding how to hold the ceremony and the anthropological differences that have been mentioned. The research method is using library resources and collecting data from articles, books and examining them in a descriptive-analytical way.

Abstract The South Caucasus is a very important region that has a significant place in the geopolitical landscape of the 21st century. The wars in Ukraine and Karabagh provided a unique opportunity for Türkiye to review its new strategic perspective. Following the implementation of the trust-building project with Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia, Turkey has adopted a multifaceted strategy to establish stability and balance. The current research, by applying the constructivist theory, seeks to answer the question, what are the economic, political and military goals of Turkey in the countries of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia? The findings of the research show that Turkey has a multifaceted strategy to achieve economic goals (access to the consumer market, investment and mastery of energy lines and ensuring energy security), political and strategic (expanding the sphere of strategic influence and geopolitical in the region and the international environment) and military and security (changing the military and security balance of the region by providing assistance to strategic allies). The result is that following the change of geopolitical realities in the Caucasus, Turkey is trying to increase its geopolitical weight in the world by applying a multifaceted strategy while reducing the role of its competitors, Russia and Iran in the region and by finding a way to improve relations with Armenia. Change and promote international multipolar order.

Abstract Transitioning from conflicts has a direct relationship with gender equality in the peacebuilding.This means that just as war affect the lives of all human beings Justice requires that all people participate in the process of establishing peace.The use of women in terrorist organizations shows the need to pay attention to this part of the peace building process. Researchers believe that in many cases,The failure in the peace-making process is due to the lack of presence of women in this process. Therefore, today peace and transition from conflicts is tied to gender equality. The main question of this research is, how has the effect of gender and women been on the transition from conflicts in the South Caucasus region in the years after independence? The evidence shows that the women have been able to participate in the processes of peace-building by strengthening the perception of their outstanding role in this path along with the change in the views of the post-independence political institutions regarding their ability. However, a mixture of strong dominance of patriarchal institutions on the society, lack of self-confidence in women and little effect of informal organizations on the peacebuilding and peacekeeping processes in this region have caused women to still not achieve their true position in the process of creating a post-conflict society.Examining the role of women in the transition from the post-independence conflicts in the South Caucasus in the context of the theoretical literature of gender, war and peace with Analytical-Descriptive and Historical methods confirms this hypothesis.

Abstract Strategic culture is the quintessence of the attitude of elites and society towards the concept of power and its use in the world and surrounding environment.The indicators of strategic culture are influenced by four main sources, including religion and ideology, the structure of the international system, geography and geopolitics, and historical experiences. The question of the article is that how the influence of religion and ideology was on the strategic culture of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Russian Federation and What are the similarities and differences between the both together? The hypothesis of the article is that the Russian Orthodox discourse and the Shia Islam discourse, by shaping the Russia and Iran strategic perception, has defined the boundaries of their thinking and behavior in a way that has acquired a quasi-divine status. The most important common dimension of the religion role in the strategic culture of these two countries is “Determining collective identity and demarcation of identity” and "Strengthening the sense of exceptionalism" And the most important differences are based on "geopolitical expansionism vs justiceism" and "Inspirationism and semanticism vs profit-oriented pragmatism and materialistic goal" and "ethnic nationalism vs Islamic internationalism. In this article, the research method is Explanatory-analytical and the data was collected through a library.

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