By Anna Ohanyan, EGF Affiliated Expert on South Caucasus region building

There is much enthusiasm among researchers and policymakers alike concerning the pacifying effects of trade and broader interdependence among states. The European Union is an often cited example of greater regional integration as a way to enhance peace and security among neighboring states. This comparative regional study draws from the cases of the Balkans and South Caucasus in order (1) to offer a descriptive account of patterns and processes of regionalism in politically divided conflict areas, and (2) to examine the extent to which such regional engagement can positively affect ongoing conflict management efforts in a given conflict region. The study advocates promoting regional structures as a new and potentially effective approach to peace-building and security enhancement, toward managing the many 'frozen conflicts' both in the Balkans as well as in the South Caucasus. READ MORE

• January 15, 2013

Iran, Iraq, and Syria have signed an agreement to expand cooperation through boosting transit of goods through joint borders, the Fars News Agency quoted Iranian Deputy Roads and Urban Development Minister Shahryar Afandizadeh as saying.

• January 14, 2013

Worried about dependence on pricier gas from Iran and Russia, Turkey is turning to its own coal. The country signed a deal with a United Arab Emirates company that will boost its coal-fired power capacity 67 percent.

• January 14, 2013

Russia has called for political transition in Syria but reiterated that Syrians themselves should decide about the future of their country without outside interference.

• January 12, 2013

Japan is planning to increase its defense budget this year for the first time in 11 years, the Defense Ministry's revised budget request showed on Friday, amid a bitter territorial dispute with China.

• January 11, 2013

Russian and U.S. diplomats plan to hold a meeting with the international mediator for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, on Friday in Geneva, Interfax news agency cited Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov as saying on Wednesday.

• January 11, 2013

Lithuania supports Georgia's political course on European and Euro-Atlantic integration, the European Club president under the Lithuanian Parliament Petras Auštrevičius said today.

• January 11, 2013

Iran today has put forward some preconditions for the future talks regarding country's nuclear program, Mehr agency reported.

• January 9, 2013