Dr. Daniel Warner, assistant Director for International Affairs, Geneva Center for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF), describes the security problems in the region, looking at unresolved conflicts and the fragile nature of regional security. The author sees a positive note, however, in the entry of Russia to the WTO following an 18 year struggle for membership. The fragile nature of security in the South Caucasus involves several parameters. This article begins with a general overview of the shift from defense to security following the end of the Cold War before addressing some of the specific geographic considerations of the region. Particular attention is given to changes in priorities from the Western perspective temporarily and geographically. The article then focuses on the specifics of the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s policies towards the region, highlighting the lack of a common policy in both institutions as well as the differences among the three countries in several of their policies.