Explanation of the Zionist regime Periphery Doctrine in the Caucasus and Central Asia (Emphasis on Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan)

Document Type : مقالات علمی -پژوهشی

Authors

• mehdi moosavi ¹
• Bahador Zarei ²
• Marjan Badiee Azandahi ³

¹ Assistant Professor of Geopolitics Department. Aja Command and Staff University. Tehran. Iran

² Associate Professor of Political Geography and Geopolitics. University of Tehran. Tehran. Iran

³ Assistant Professor of Political Geography and Geopolitics,. University of Tehran. Tehran. Iran

https://doi.org/10.22067/pg.2022.76377.1146

Abstract

The Zionist regime has attempted to break out the geopolitical isolation with the doctrine of peripheral unity and to establish relations with other countries Since the 1960s. Areas such as the Mediterranean, North Africa, the Caucasus, and Central Asia were given priority by Israel. In the present study, the descriptive-analytical method was adopted to examine the periphery doctrine of Israel in the Caucasus and Central Asia as two important geopolitical areas in northern Iran. Our study indicates that the Zionist doctrine, despite a good start, failed to establish sustainable regional partnerships with five countries (i.e., Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Armenia, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan). In contrast, the Israel periphery doctrine in Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan has been somewhat successful than these five countries. In this regard, the main Israel stimuli for relations with Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan is including the supply of energy resources (40% of Azerbaijan and 25-25% of Kazakhstan), the existence of two countries with a Muslim majority population, a secular structure and the use of this as a leverage, the sale of weapons, as well as the co-border of these countries with Iran, and the using military and cyber capacity for eavesdropping. It is also worth mentioning that Israel remains a minor commercial partner for Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, despite the uproar created by commentators. Russia, Turkey and Iran are the biggest trading partners of Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan (Iran's commercial ties with Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan in 2020 were about ten and three times more, respectively, than the Israel’s). A more precise analysis of arms sales also shows that Israel is not a major supplier of arms to either Azerbaijan or Kazakhstan, and Russia plays a key role in this context.

Keywords

• Israel
• Periphery Doctrine
• Caucasus
• Central Asia
• Azerbaijan
• Kazakhstan

References

1. Aghayeva, S., (2012). Israeli FM: Azerbaijan could become meditator between Israel and the Arab world. Trend News Agency. Retrieved from https://en.trend.az/ azerbaijan/ politics/ htm
2. Ahren, R., (2016). Reaching out to Muslims, Netanyahu plans Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan trips. The Times of Israel. Retrieved from https://www.timesofisrael.n com/reaching-out-to-muslims-netanyahu-says-hell-visit-kazakhstan-azerbaijan/
3. Alpher, Y. (2010). Israel’s troubled relationship with Turkey and Iran: the ‘periphery’ dimension. Noref Report, Norweg: Norwegian Peacebuilding Centre, Available at http://www.peacebuilding.no/var/ezfl ow_site/storage/original/application/69654c7bac7e39cea38bb20c7ea7efd5.pdf (accessed 16, December 2013).
4. Associated Press (2012). Israel signed large scale arms deal with Azerbaijan, Available at http:// haaretz.com/ news/ diplomacy-defense/ israel-signs- 1-6-billion- arms-deal-withazerbaijan-1. 414916 (accessed 16, December 2013).
5. Bengio, O., (2012). The Kurds of Iraq: Building a State With in a State. London: Lynne Rienner Publishers.
6. Bialer, U., (2007). Fuel bridge across the Middle East: Israel, Iran and the Eilat-Ashkelon Oil Pipeline, Israel Studies, 12(3), pp. 36–37.
7. Bishku, M., (2009). The South Caucasus republics and Israel. Middle Eastern Studies, 45 (2), 295–314.
8. Bourtman, I., (2006). Israel and Azerbaijan’s furtive embrace. Middle East Quarterly, 13 (3), 47–57.
9. Cashman, G., & Fay, M., (2016). Uzbek envoy says Israel will have more friends in Muslim states. The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved from https://www.jpost.com/Diplomatic- Conference/Uzbek-envoy-says-Israel-will-have-more-friends-in-Muslim-states-471184
10. Cohen, D., (2012). Iran versus Azerbaijan: Israeli agents to blame. Ynet, No, 1. [Hebrew]. Available at http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4204073,00.html.
11. Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the United States of America (2013). Foreign minister Mammadyarov at the AJC global forum.
12. Feiler, G., & Lim, K., (2014). Israel and Kazakhstan: Assessing the state of bilateral relations. Ramat Gan, Israel: Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies.
13. Gilad, B. (2002) Israeli-Iranian relations: underground diplomacy in Jegar, in: M. Jegar, Y. Govrin & A. Oded (Eds) The Foreign Ministry: The First 50 Years [Hebrew], Jerusalem: Keter).
14. Grebennikov, M., (2015). Skating on thin ice: Israel’s strategic partnership with Azerbaijan in the South Caucasus. Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs, 9(3), 429–439.
15. Heller, J., (2010). Israel and the Cold War: From the War of Independence to the Six-day War [Hebrew]. Israel: Ben-Gurion Institute for Israel Studies).
16. Inor, H., (2002). Ethiopia and Israel in Jegar, in: Jegar, M., Govrin Y., & Oded, A., (Eds.). The Foreign Ministry: The First 50 Years [Hebrew]. Jerusalem: Keter).
17. Keinon, H., (2012). Reports Baku gave Israel Airfields are fiction. Jerusalem Post, Available at http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/Reports-Baku-gave-Israel-airfields-are-fiction (accessed 16, December 2013).
18. Keinon, H., (2016). Prime Minister Netanyahu to meet Cypriot president. The Jerusalem Post. Available at http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/PM-to-meet-Cypriot-president-312068
19. Keinon, H., (2019). Lieberman visits Azerbaijan to strengthen ties with country bordering Iran. The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved from https://www.jpost.com/ Israel-News/Liberman-visits-Azerbaijan-to-strengthen-ties-with-country-bordering- Iran-567152.
20. Kucera, J., (2016). Karabakh fighting highlights Azerbaijan’s new Israeli weapons. Eurasianet. Retrieved from https://eurasianet.org/karabakh-fighting-highlightsazerbaijans- new-israeli-weapons.
21. Maeir, H., (2016). Israel, Azerbaijan sign batch of economic agreements. Ynet News. Retrieved from https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L- 4892703,00
22. Magid, J., (2018). Israeli drone maker said to have bombed Armenians for Azerbaijan faces charges. The Times of Israel. Retrieved from https://www.timesofiscom/israeli-dronemaker-said-to-have-bombed-armenians-for-azerbaijan-facescharges/
23. Melman, Y., (2016). Iranian adversary reveals it bought $5 billion in weapons from Israel. The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved from https://www.jpost.com/ Israel-News/Politics-And-Diplomacy/Israel-looking-to-sell-missile-defense-systemsto- Azerbaijan-475242
24. Merhav, R., (2006). Covert diplomacy: its wane under the spotlight, in: M. Sela (Ed.) Diplomacy and the Media: Who Leads Whom? Tel Aviv: Tel Aviv University.
25. Murinson, A., (2010). Turkey’ Entente with Israel and Azerbaijan: State Identity and Security in the Middle East and Caucasus. London: Routledge.
26. Murinson, A., (2014). The ties between Israel and Azerbaijan. Ramat Gan, Israel: Begin- Sadat Center for Strategic Studies.
27. Perry, M., (2012). Israel’ secret staging ground, Foreign Policy. Available at http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/03/28/israel_s_secret_staging_ground#sthash.ZUHOBy3a.dpbs (accessed 16, December 2013).
28. Peters, J., (1987). Israel’ relations with Black Africa 1973–1985. (PhD dissertation, Oxford).
29. Pfeffer, A., (2013). Iran claims it upgraded its submarine fleet. Haaretz, Available at http://www. haaretz.com/blogs/the-axis/how-dangerous-is-iran-s-submarine-fleet.premium-1.444755 (accessed 16, December 2013).
30. Reid, O.R., (1959). Telegram from the embassy in Israel to the department of state in foreign relations of the United States, 1958–1960. Available at http://history.state.gov/ (accessed 16, December 2013).
31. Pinfold, R.G., & Peters, J., (2019). The limits of Israel’s periphery doctrine: Lessons from the Caucasus and Central Asia. Mediterranean Politics, 26(1), 25-49.
32. Shaffer, B., (2013). Azerbaijan’ cooperation with Israel Goes beyond Iran tensions, The Washington Institute. https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/azerbaijans-cooperation-israel-goes-beyond-iran-tensions
33. Tibon, A., (2018). How pro-Israel Jews became Azerbaijan’s secret weapon in Washington. Haaretz. Retrieved from https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/.premiumhow- pro-israel-jews-became-azerbaijan-s-secret-weapon-in-washington-1. 6033307.
34. Ynet News. (2010). Kazakhstan jails Israeli businessman. Retrieved from https:// ynetnews.com/ articles/0,7340,L-3854483,00.html
35. Tziarras, Z., (2016). Israel-Cyprus-Greece: A ‘comfortable’ quasi-alliance. Mediterranean Politics, 21(3), 407–427.