JD Vance: A Prisoner of the Caucasus
Every delay has consequences.
Log In
Email *
Password *
Remember Me
Forgot Your Password?
Log In
New to The Nation? Subscribe
Print subscriber? Activate your online access
Skip to content Skip to footer
JD Vance: A Prisoner of the Caucasus
Magazine
Newsletters
Subscribe
Log In
Search
Subscribe
Donate
Magazine
Latest
Archive
Podcasts
Newsletters
Sections
Politics
World
Economy
Culture
Books & the Arts
The Nation
About
Events
Contact Us
Advertise
Current Issue
February 13, 2026
JD Vance: A Prisoner of the Caucasus
The vice president’s trip adds fuel to regional fires.
Pietro A. Shakarian
Share
Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky Pocket
Email
Ad Policy
Vice President JD Vance and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan hold signed copies of Joint Statement on the Completion of Negotiations on an Agreement for Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation between the United States of America and the Republic of Armenia in Yerevan, Armenia, on February 9, 2026.(Kevin Lamarque-Pool / Getty Images)
If there is one characteristic that defines the erratic and incoherent “Donroe Doctrine” of President Trump, then it must be the principle that “might makes right” in international politics. The Trump administration has little need for international law. It is willfully and blatantly disregarded and, indeed, discarded. Instead, from Greenland to Gaza, from Venezuela to Iran, the “law of the jungle” reigns supreme.
The essence of the “Donroe Doctrine” can be observed in the administration’s approach to both war and peace. An example of the latter is what occurred earlier this week when Vice President JD Vance flew to the Caucasus in a bid to bolster American influence and pressure on Iran’s northern frontier, at a time when tension between Washington and Tehran has never been higher. Amid profound domestic crises in the US, it would seem prudent to avoid dragging America into such far-flung adventurism, in a part of the world that is virtually unknown to most Americans. Yet there was Vance, stoking tensions with a large regional power—Iran—and a massive atomic superpower—Russia—all while quietly sanctioning democratic decline and ethnic cleansing in the post-Soviet Caucasus.
Vance’s Caucasian itinerary consisted of two of the three South Caucasus states—Armenia and Azerbaijan. Georgia, once the favorite of American neocons, was conspicuously avoided. In 2008, its president, Mikheil Saakashvili, had bungled his way into a confrontation with Russia at the behest of the Bush administration. Facing a bear-like reaction from Moscow, Tbilisi was left in the lurch by Washington. While Georgia has since learned from this painful episode, Armenia’s Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan’s Ilham Aliyev have decided to try their luck at the “Saakashvili” approach, with ample encouragement from President Trump. It is at their own peril that they ignore the clear warnings from Russia and Iran against any American presence on their borders.
Vance arrived first in Armenia, flying into Yerevan from Milan on a rainy Monday afternoon. A major part of his visit was to reinforce American commitment to the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP). Hailed by the …
Every delay has consequences.
Log In
Email *
Password *
Remember Me
Forgot Your Password?
Log In
New to The Nation? Subscribe
Print subscriber? Activate your online access
Skip to content Skip to footer
JD Vance: A Prisoner of the Caucasus
Magazine
Newsletters
Subscribe
Log In
Search
Subscribe
Donate
Magazine
Latest
Archive
Podcasts
Newsletters
Sections
Politics
World
Economy
Culture
Books & the Arts
The Nation
About
Events
Contact Us
Advertise
Current Issue
February 13, 2026
JD Vance: A Prisoner of the Caucasus
The vice president’s trip adds fuel to regional fires.
Pietro A. Shakarian
Share
Copy Link
X (Twitter)
Bluesky Pocket
Ad Policy
Vice President JD Vance and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan hold signed copies of Joint Statement on the Completion of Negotiations on an Agreement for Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation between the United States of America and the Republic of Armenia in Yerevan, Armenia, on February 9, 2026.(Kevin Lamarque-Pool / Getty Images)
If there is one characteristic that defines the erratic and incoherent “Donroe Doctrine” of President Trump, then it must be the principle that “might makes right” in international politics. The Trump administration has little need for international law. It is willfully and blatantly disregarded and, indeed, discarded. Instead, from Greenland to Gaza, from Venezuela to Iran, the “law of the jungle” reigns supreme.
The essence of the “Donroe Doctrine” can be observed in the administration’s approach to both war and peace. An example of the latter is what occurred earlier this week when Vice President JD Vance flew to the Caucasus in a bid to bolster American influence and pressure on Iran’s northern frontier, at a time when tension between Washington and Tehran has never been higher. Amid profound domestic crises in the US, it would seem prudent to avoid dragging America into such far-flung adventurism, in a part of the world that is virtually unknown to most Americans. Yet there was Vance, stoking tensions with a large regional power—Iran—and a massive atomic superpower—Russia—all while quietly sanctioning democratic decline and ethnic cleansing in the post-Soviet Caucasus.
Vance’s Caucasian itinerary consisted of two of the three South Caucasus states—Armenia and Azerbaijan. Georgia, once the favorite of American neocons, was conspicuously avoided. In 2008, its president, Mikheil Saakashvili, had bungled his way into a confrontation with Russia at the behest of the Bush administration. Facing a bear-like reaction from Moscow, Tbilisi was left in the lurch by Washington. While Georgia has since learned from this painful episode, Armenia’s Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan’s Ilham Aliyev have decided to try their luck at the “Saakashvili” approach, with ample encouragement from President Trump. It is at their own peril that they ignore the clear warnings from Russia and Iran against any American presence on their borders.
Vance arrived first in Armenia, flying into Yerevan from Milan on a rainy Monday afternoon. A major part of his visit was to reinforce American commitment to the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP). Hailed by the …
JD Vance: A Prisoner of the Caucasus
Every delay has consequences.
Log In
Email *
Password *
Remember Me
Forgot Your Password?
Log In
New to The Nation? Subscribe
Print subscriber? Activate your online access
Skip to content Skip to footer
JD Vance: A Prisoner of the Caucasus
Magazine
Newsletters
Subscribe
Log In
Search
Subscribe
Donate
Magazine
Latest
Archive
Podcasts
Newsletters
Sections
Politics
World
Economy
Culture
Books & the Arts
The Nation
About
Events
Contact Us
Advertise
Current Issue
February 13, 2026
JD Vance: A Prisoner of the Caucasus
The vice president’s trip adds fuel to regional fires.
Pietro A. Shakarian
Share
Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky Pocket
Email
Ad Policy
Vice President JD Vance and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan hold signed copies of Joint Statement on the Completion of Negotiations on an Agreement for Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation between the United States of America and the Republic of Armenia in Yerevan, Armenia, on February 9, 2026.(Kevin Lamarque-Pool / Getty Images)
If there is one characteristic that defines the erratic and incoherent “Donroe Doctrine” of President Trump, then it must be the principle that “might makes right” in international politics. The Trump administration has little need for international law. It is willfully and blatantly disregarded and, indeed, discarded. Instead, from Greenland to Gaza, from Venezuela to Iran, the “law of the jungle” reigns supreme.
The essence of the “Donroe Doctrine” can be observed in the administration’s approach to both war and peace. An example of the latter is what occurred earlier this week when Vice President JD Vance flew to the Caucasus in a bid to bolster American influence and pressure on Iran’s northern frontier, at a time when tension between Washington and Tehran has never been higher. Amid profound domestic crises in the US, it would seem prudent to avoid dragging America into such far-flung adventurism, in a part of the world that is virtually unknown to most Americans. Yet there was Vance, stoking tensions with a large regional power—Iran—and a massive atomic superpower—Russia—all while quietly sanctioning democratic decline and ethnic cleansing in the post-Soviet Caucasus.
Vance’s Caucasian itinerary consisted of two of the three South Caucasus states—Armenia and Azerbaijan. Georgia, once the favorite of American neocons, was conspicuously avoided. In 2008, its president, Mikheil Saakashvili, had bungled his way into a confrontation with Russia at the behest of the Bush administration. Facing a bear-like reaction from Moscow, Tbilisi was left in the lurch by Washington. While Georgia has since learned from this painful episode, Armenia’s Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan’s Ilham Aliyev have decided to try their luck at the “Saakashvili” approach, with ample encouragement from President Trump. It is at their own peril that they ignore the clear warnings from Russia and Iran against any American presence on their borders.
Vance arrived first in Armenia, flying into Yerevan from Milan on a rainy Monday afternoon. A major part of his visit was to reinforce American commitment to the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP). Hailed by the …
0 Comments
0 Shares
27 Views
0 Reviews
