The Evolution of Azerbaijan’S Balanced Foreign Policy since 2003

This article examines China’s strategic environment in the South China Sea (SCS), focusing on political, economic, and geopolitical factors influencing its regional policies and their implications for Indonesia. By incorporating the concepts of total war and people’s war, along with Indonesia’s maritime strategy and China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), this study provides a comprehensive analysis of power dynamics in the region. The research highlights Indonesia’s strategic challenges, including breaches of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in Natuna, the growing economic reliance on China, and the necessity for diplomatic and military adjustments to safeguard national interests. Indonesia’s role in ASEAN and its balanced foreign policy are essential in mitigating these challenges. Future research could further explore Indonesia's long-term strategic adjustments to counter China's influence while maintaining economic cooperation.

The article analyzes the most important changes that have taken place over the past five years in the dynamics and geographical structure of foreign trade relations of the European Union (EU) as the largest entity in the system of modern international commodity trade. It is shown that, despite such rather unfavorable external factors as the increase in general turbulence in world commodity trade, the expansion of the zone of protectionist and sanctions measures, trade conflicts, the EU was able to maintain its dominant position in international commodity exchange. At the same time, the European Union has pushed the main competitors, as the latest statistics show a significant decrease in the share of the North American free trade Association (NAFTA, consisting of the United States, Canada, Mexico) and Japan in international exports. Continuing to pursue a balanced foreign trade policy, the EU used its traditional instruments not only to increase its activity in general and outside the European region, but also to maintain a positive balance of foreign trade. In addition, there are hopes for the resumption of goodneighbourly trade relations between the European Union and the Russian Federation, which have been complicated in recent years by the introduction and extension of sanctions measures by the EU and Russia's response. The author presents new statistical materials, numerous calculated data, for the first time introduced into the domestic scientific circulation.

In the article, the author calculated and analyzed the dynamics of indicators of Ukraine's export potential for the period 2016–2021. The product structure of Ukraine's exports in 2021 was determined and the share of goods exports in Ukraine's GDP was calculated for 2016–2021, which provided an opportunity to summarize existing trends and to present certain practical proposals. It was established that, despite the crisis conditions of 2020–2022, the trends demonstrate the activation of Ukrainian exporters on the world markets, but the structure of trade in itself somewhat inhibits the processes, which is reflected by a negative indicator of trade turnover. It was determined that the possibilities of Ukraine's export potential demonstrate that in 2021, ferrous metals and grain products will account for larger sales volumes on foreign markets. It is noted that Ukraine's exports are growing faster than imports, and the country's high dependence on imports is a negative factor. It was established that Ukraine remains a raw material appendage. Therefore, from a strategic perspective, Ukraine aims to change this trend through the active development of industrial processing, which will change the shares exactly the opposite: to export 75% of finished products and services and only 25% of raw materials. It has been found that the impact on the opportunities of Ukraine's export potential is exerted by a complex of internal and external factors, which are of an acute problematic nature. Based on the results of the calculations, it was established that an urgent issue in order to expand the possibilities of realizing the export potential of Ukraine on world markets is the implementation of a balanced foreign economic policy of the state regarding the support of national producers, the stimulation of export-oriented products and increasing their competitiveness, bringing the legislative framework in the field of foreign economic activity to meet world standards. It was determined and proposed that to optimize the commodity structure of foreign trade, a strategic measure is the transition from a focus on raw material exports to the export of processed, processed or finished products with high added value, as well as supplementing the existing dominant export industries with other promising directions.

The article examines the multivector foreign policy of Georgia during the presidency of Eduard Shevardnadze (1992–2003) in the context of the complex geopolitical situation in the South Caucasus. During this period, the country faced numerous challenges, including ethnopolitical conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, economic difficulties, and the need for recovery after the collapse of the Soviet Union. In response to these challenges, Georgia pursued a balanced foreign policy strategy aimed at developing relations both with the West and with Russia. The article analyzes the key directions of Georgia’s foreign policy, including its attempts to integrate into Western international structures such as NATO and the European Union, while maintaining pragmatic relations with Russia, the traditional regional player. Shevardnadze employed a multivector approach to minimize dependence on any single external actor and to strengthen Georgia’s position in international affairs. The author highlights how this strategy affected the country’s internal and external stability, as well as its role in regional geopolitics. The article focuses on the complexities of implementing a multivector policy amid growing competition between global powers in the post-Soviet space.

The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad or QSD), a proposed multilateral platform consisting of the United States (US), India, Japan and Australia intended to underpin a future Asia-Pacific order, has the potential to significantly impact Pakistan‟s international standing. As an important regional actor, Pakistan‟s responses to such a platform will be influential. This article discusses possible ways Pakistan is likely to perceive the Quad and its consequences. It analyses the nature of the Quad, Pakistan‟s foreign policy and current geopolitical trends to provide a framework for discussion. It then outlines two potential forms the Quad may take, aggressive and cooperative, and explores Pakistan‟s likely perceptions and responses. It finds that in case of an aggressive Quad, Pakistan will resist pressure and seek external support which may trigger greater strategic competition, whereas it may be willing to adopt a balanced foreign policy in the case of a cooperative Quad. These findings demonstrate the importance of considering such long-term implications at a time when other concerns are driving international engagement with Pakistan.

Building on the concept of five geopolitical traditions in Serbia (Savić 2014), we have analyzed the various uses of geopolitical discourses in Serbia’s foreign policy positioning from 2014 to 2024 by its current president, Aleksandar Vučić. The puzzle arises as to whether it is possible for a small state to realistically improve its geopolitical position during the crisis of the liberal international order, or to postpone such moves until a future order more favorable to its perceived national interests emerges. We analyze how the Russo-Ukrainian War has altered the balance in Serbia’s geopolitical culture, finding the tradition of “Serbia in the West” being pushed aside compared to the “bridge” that underpins its hedging and balanced foreign policy orientation.

The article discusses unfreezing of economic and transport relations in the region after the Second Karabakh war, more specifically, the issue of “Zangezur Corridor” is observed by the Republic of Armenia as security standpoint. The article reviews United Kingdom’s Turkey’s, Russia’s, Iran’s, EU’s and US’ approaches to the issue of “Zangezur Corridor”. As a result of the involvement of the South Caucasus region in the processes of formation of a new world order, the security of the region has been eroded. As a result, the Republic, of Armenia has been facing new challenges. It is crucial to strengthen Republic of Armenia’s sovereignty and subjectivity as well as to conduct balanced foreign policy.