An East-West Strategic Corridor connects Central Asia to the Eastern border of the EU and NATO via the Southern Caucasus, as both a physical corridor for transportation, trade, and energy, and a virtual one for economic and investment projects. The development of this corridor will bring benefits to all countries it directly involves, to their neighbor countries, and to the EU and United States in their stated intention to access the resource-rich land-locked Central Asia. The corridor links this region to Europe and further to the Atlantic, providing for alternative sources and routes for energy and trade, and a secure route that could be used for the transport of military material inside NATO. It brings economic and security benefits to the region, while also exposing the local populations to the values and principles of modern Western societies, particularly democracy and human rights.