Mikhail Gorbachev will be remembered in the West for laying the basis for more constructive relations to ease the end of the Cold War, but vilified in Russia for speeding the Soviet Union’s demise.

Georgia was once a beacon of democracy in the South Caucasus, but today it is backsliding toward authoritarianism and headed back into Russia's sphere of influence. 

The truth is that his tenure as secretary of state was often rocky, and as full of setbacks as acclaim.

There’s a single thread connecting the White House approach to the region, from Syria to Saudi Arabia.