There are some countries in the world which are affected by their location in the thick of crosscurrents of international relations and the resulting instability.
Armenia happens to be one of those countries, particularly now that it is on its own, trying to navigate through turbulent waters.
It is a hostage to the developments in the Caucasus. For centuries, the dominant forces in the region have been Iran, Turkey and Russia and their rivalries have defined or determined Armenia’s destiny.
Today, the US has been added to that mix, playing a forceful role.
Media coverage touches only the surface of the ongoing rivalries, whose outcome may be revealed many years in the future.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey has been using those rivalries to his advantage. But that policy is not a recent invention. The Ottoman Turks managed to rule an empire for almost six centuries and sharpened their diplomatic skills, which involved experiencing tremendous exposure to blunders and opportunism.