eastern Caucasus and increased commerce with that region, Iran and
India. He wrote a number of books on those themes, all published
posthumously.^3
Valerian Zubov's ideas made a particularly vivid impression on
Alexander. It may well be that the younger Zubov's arguments in
favor of the annexation of Georgia were the ones that confirmed Al-
exander's determination to follow that course. That seems to be the
most plausible inference to be drawn from the tsar's deliberate con-
cealment of Valerian's proannexation memorandum from two artic-
ulate critics, Alexander Vorontsov and Victor Kochubei, who were
otherwise among the tsar's most trusted advisers. Another indirect
reflection of Valerian's influence on Alexander is the way Kochubei
fawned on Valerian after the decision in 1801 to annex Georgia. In a
strange display of humility, Kochubei, then president of the College
of Foreign Affairs, not only accepted all the ideas in Valerian's memo-
randum but also praised its author as an expert on Asian affairs to
whose judgment Kochubei felt compelled to defer. One of the strong-
est arguments Valerian Zubov used in favor of annexation of Georgia
was that such an action was morally incumbent on Alexander. The
tsar echoed this theme when he justified annexation on the grounds
that it represented the wish of the suffering Georgians as well as their
only hope of security. The younger Zubov also repeated an argument
formulated during Catherine's reign and destined to have great im-
portance in Russia's relations with Iran for the next thirty years:
that, in order to protect Georgia, it was essential to secure the Kura
and Aras rivers as the border with Iran.^4
Valerian Zubov's other major concern was trade with Asia. He re-
capitulated for Alexander all his old arguments about the desirability
of encouraging trade with Iran and India and the significance of Baku
and Astarabad in that connection. Like most of the other members
of the small circle Russians interested in Asia, he was blithely overop-
timistic about the ease with which such ties could be established. For
example, he informed Alexander that an excellent and safe road had
been built by Shah 'Abbas the Great (who ruled from 1588 until 1629),
linking Baku with Tabriz, Tehran, Esfahan, the southern province of
Fars, and the Persian Gulf.
5
Apart from the fact that a host of pub-
lic works were spuriously attributed to Shah 'Abbas by later genera-
tions of Iranians is the fact that the road that linked the Caucasus
and the commercial centers of Iran was beset with obstacles, especial-
ly rough terrain, exposure to extremes of weather, and risk of attack
by tribal marauders. Alexander was impressed with Valerian's opin-
ions on Asian trade. The tsar informed Prince Paul Tsitsianov, whom
Russian Policy: Questions and Continuity 49