ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the relevance of the concept of cuspness as a tool for studying the borderland regions and the politics of integrative regionalisms. It explores the regionness of the South Caucasus as an example of a cusp region in the European borderlands. The chapter explores the regionness of the South Caucasus in terms of three major images: a micro-region, a sub-region of the Caucasus, and a sub-region of the Broader Caucasus. It discusses the characteristics of the European Union-led, Russia-led and the Black Sea–led models of integrative regionalisms in the South Caucasus separately. The chapter explores the weak cusp character of the South Caucasus region in terms of its role in limiting the effectiveness of each integrative regionalism. It concludes with a discussion of the significance of studying the South Caucasus as a weak cusp borderland region for making sense of the shifting politics of integrative regionalisms in this European borderland.
