ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the bilateral relationship between Baku and Tehran. It examines the new South Caucasus independent states chose to act following a model shared by small post-colonial states. The main evolution concerned the geopolitical divide of the South Caucasus region following the Georgian war of August 2008 and the unforeseen consequences of Obama's so-called reset policy of bilateral relationship with Moscow. The Iranian ambition to appear as an independent power in the former Soviet space in general and in the Caucasus in particular largely remains a failed objective. As regional partners, they disagree on NATO's role in the South Caucasus: Georgia still pursues a counterproductive strategy of becoming a full member of NATO. The new relationship between the governments' Ahmadinejad and Saakashvili appear surprising at first glance. In fact, it cannot be understood as a pure bilateral relationship.
