This article is an analytical assessment of the trilateral relationship between Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Georgia (TAG) and seeks to account for the substantiveness of their cooperation. Using a heuristic analytical framework, it considers the role of the trilateral relationship in the foreign policies of each of the three countries and its concomitant institutional “thickness” as a mechanism for security governance, to assess TAG cooperation. Based on the analysis, the article finds that trilateral cooperation between Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Georgia can be considered substantial and indicative of alignment. However, the overarching and durable rationale for this alignment is not immediately clear. While solving the puzzle of trilateral alignment is beyond the scope of this study, the conclusion posits that TAG cooperation may be an extension of complementary strategic priorities and increasingly aligned regime types.
Michael H. Cecire (Mon,) studied this question.