The Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity is more than a road

A year ago this month, President Trump launched the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, TRIPP for short, in partnership with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan. This route is much more than a simple road; it represents an active American intent to safeguard access to the heart of Eurasia, helping partner countries maintain their independence and preventing Russia, China and Iran from dominating the strategically vital Caspian region. The U.S. and Western allies need to promote infrastructure that blunts the impact of disruptions to freedom of the seas and spurs the development of energy resources outside the Middle East. TRIPP is an important component of this policy. As the U.S. and Israel exchanged missile and rocket fire with Iran and Russia’s war on Ukraine intensified over the past year, TRIPP provided a narrow safe route above the Caucasus for global aviation between Europe and Asia. Recognizing that such a route provides a strategic buffer against Iranian antagonism, the Trump administration is now working to strengthen the corridor’s security as well as the American presence along it; American companies will operate TRIPP for 99 years in a public-private partnership. The TRIPP corridor links Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey in a physical manifestation of the peace agreements signed last August at the White House, ending a 30-year conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. TRIPP is in turn a component of a larger land trade route linking Europe and Asia,…