The Transcaucasus In Transition
The Transcaucasus In Transition

Author: Shireen Hunter

Publisher: Westview Press

Published: 1994

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13:

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Since this book was completed in mid-1994 there have been a number of significant developments in the Transcaucasus and its immediate neighbourhood. Surat Husseinov has been ousted from power in Azerbaijan. The government in Armenia has clamped down harshly on the Dashnaks. The Chechen crisis erupted, forcing Russia to focus even more attention on what was happening across its southern borders. The debate about the route or routes along which Azeri oil should be piped to the West has also become more heated. In spite of the pace of events in the Transcaucasus Hunter has written a book which should enjoy a long shelf-life. The reader is able to gain a clear understanding of what occurred in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia in the final years of the Gorbachev era and in the first years of these states' independence after 1991. This background knowledge will enable the reader to make more sense of the most recent complicated twists and turns in the politics of the Transcaucasus region. -- From http://www.jstor.org (Sep. 15, 2013).

Armenia
Armenia

Author: Robert Krikorian

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-10-11

Total Pages: 179

ISBN-13: 1134412185

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Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Armenia has remained on the brink of on the brink of becoming an economic crossroads or an isolated backwater, a democratic or authoritarian state, a peaceful and prosperous country or a nation on the brink of conflict. Armenia's difficult independence is intricately linked with her transcaucasian neighbours, and whichever path she follows, they will undoubtedly be affected. Armenia: At the Crossroads considers Armenia as a nationa and as a state, and puts her tragic history into the context of current events since independence.

The Politics of Transition in Central Asia and the Caucasus
The Politics of Transition in Central Asia and the Caucasus

Author: Amanda E Wooden

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2009-06-08

Total Pages: 302

ISBN-13: 1134207441

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Most books on the Caucasus and Central Asia are country-by-country studies. This book, on the other hand, fills a gap in Central Eurasian studies as one of the few comparative case study books on Central Eurasia, covering both the Caucasus and Central Asia; it considers key themes right across the two regions highlighting both political change and continuity. Comparative case study chapters, written by regional experts from a variety of methodological backgrounds, provide historical context, and evaluate Soviet political legacies and emerging policy outcomes. Key topics include: the varied types and sources of authoritarianism; political opposition and protest politics; predetermined outcomes of post-Soviet economic choices; social and stability impacts of natural resource wealth; variations in educational reform; international norm influence on gender policy and the power of human rights activists. Overall, the book provides a thorough, up-to-date overview of what is increasingly becoming a significant area of concern.

Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan

Author: Suha Bolukbasi

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2013-10-01

Total Pages: 317

ISBN-13: 0857719327

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Azerbaijan's Soviet and post-Soviet political history has been tumultuous and varied, particularly with regard to the struggle for independence, democracy and sovereignty. Suha Bolukbasi here illustrates how post-Stalin resilience, the tolerance shown toward subtle nationalist expression and Gorbachev's relaxation of central control from Moscow were all-in-part responsible for the initial emergence of a more liberal atmosphere in Azerbaijan. As a result, issues such as Moscow's responsibility for environmental degradation, the depletion of Azerbaijan's oil, and unfavourable terms of trade have all begun to be freely discussed. However, the Azerbaijan-Armenia dispute over Karabagh has had a dramatic impact on the political discourse. The dispute has become not only an international conflict, but one which involves the lives of more than one million refugees. This book shows how Azerbaijan's recent political history - both domestic and international - has influenced the development of the country and the history of the surrounding region.

Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan

Author: Sally N. Cummings

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2002-10-01

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 085771399X

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Kazakhstan is the largest state in Central Asia. Rich in oil, gas and other natural resources and sandwiched between China and Russia it occupies a key geopolitical position, the importance of which was further heightened following the attacks of 9/11 and subsequent wars in the wider Middle East. But Kazakhstan was born by default, gaining independence only reluctantly as the Soviet Union collapsed. Its political elite, facing complex tasks of state-building, also lacked a monoethnic base on which to build its legitimacy. Based on original material and extensive interviews in the capital and three of the country's regions, the book places the elite in the country's broader institutional and historical context, analysing their identity, behaviour and how they gained and secured power in the early independence years. Kazakhstan: Power and the Elite is essential reading for all those interested in the history, politics and international relations of this fascinating country.

The Forsaken People
The Forsaken People

Author: Roberta Cohen

Publisher: Brookings Institution Press

Published: 2010-12-01

Total Pages: 529

ISBN-13: 081571498X

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The coerced displacement of people within the borders of their own countries by armed conflicts, internal strife, and systematic violations of human rights has become a pervasive feature of the post Cold War era. The plight of the displaced poses a challenge that is not only humanitarian but a threat to the security and stability of countries, regions, and, through a chain effect, the international system. This book contains case studies of ten countries that have suffered severe problems of internal displacement: Burundi, Rwanda, Liberia, and the Sudan in Africa; the former Yugoslavia and the Caucasus in Europe; Tajikistan and Sri Lanka in Asia; and Colombia and Peru in the Americas. The contributors are Thomas Greene, Randolph C. Kent, Jennifer McLean, Larry Minear, Liliana Obregón, Amir Pasic, Hiram A. Ruiz, Colin Scott, H.L. Seneviratne, Maria Stavropoulou, and Thomas G. Weiss. Additionally, the contributors and editors offer recommendations for further action.

The Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict
The Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict

Author: Michael P. Croissant

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 1998-07-23

Total Pages: 192

ISBN-13: 0313071721

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Of all the violent disputes that have flared across the former Soviet Union since the late 1980s, the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict is the only one to pose a genuine threat to peace and security throughout Eurasia. By right of its strategic location and oil resources, the Transcaucasus has been and will continue to be a source of interest for external powers competing to advance their geopolitical influence in the region. Under such conditions, the possibility will remain for the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict to reignite and expand to include other powers. The ten-year conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan has been one of the bloodiest and most intractable disputes to emerge from the breakup of the Soviet Union. Animosity that developed between the Armenians and Azeris under czarist Russian rule was fueled by the rise of a dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountainous region for which both peoples feel an intense nationalistic affinity. The attachment of the region to Azerbaijan by Stalin in 1923 became a source of deep resentment for the Armenians, and during the rule of Gorbachev, a campaign was begun to achieve the peaceful unification of Armenia and Karabakh. Azerbaijan resisted the move as a threat to its territorial integrity, and clashes that broke out soon escalated into a full-scale war that outlived the USSR itself. Although a cease-fire has been observed since May, 1994, a peaceful settlement to the conflict has been elusive. Meanwhile, by right of both the strategic location and resources and the unique security characteristics of the Transcaucasus, major external powers—Russia, Turkey, and Iran—have sought to influence the dispute according to their geopolitical interests. With the growth of interest in the oil riches of the Caspian Sea and the increasing engagement of Western countries, including the United States, the risks and implications of renewed violence between Armenia and Azerbaijan will grow. This major study will be of interest to students, scholars, and policymakers involved with international relations, military affairs, and the Transcaucasus.

The New Caucasus
The New Caucasus

Author: Edmund Herzig

Publisher: Burns & Oates

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 184

ISBN-13:

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This book provides an assessment of the political and economic development of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia in five years of independence, and analyses the trends that are shaping the region's near to medium term future. It focuses on the dynamics of political stability and instability, on the region's unresolved conflicts and on the prospects for regional cooperation and sustained economic growth. Special consideration is given to the interplay of internal and external factors.

Transcaucasian Boundaries
Transcaucasian Boundaries

Author: John Wright

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2003-12-16

Total Pages: 247

ISBN-13: 1135368503

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Transcaucasian boundaries" provides the first insights into the geopolitical dynamics in this ethnically diverse and turbulent region of the former Soviet Union. The interplay between the former controlling powers of Iran, Turkey and Russia is examined, and the conflicts in Nagorno-Karabagh, Ossetia and Abkhazia are subject to expert analysis. The roles of Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia are considered in detail, their relative weakness having held back the transition towards democratic free-market entities of pluralist composition. Questions of minority rights, territorial settlement and the inviolability of state borders are central to an understanding of this part of the world; these issues are manifest all too violently when combined with the nationalist forces prevalent throughout Transcaucasia. All students of geopolitics and ethnic issues will find this volume a worthwhile contribution to understanding the complex geopolitical problems of a richly diverse and fascinating region.

The Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea

Author: William Ascher

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 591

ISBN-13: 9401140324

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This volume is based on the presentations and deliberations of an Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) "Caspian Sea: A Quest for Environmental Security" that was held on March 15-19, 1999, in Venice (Italy). The Workshop was sponsored by the NATO's Division for Scientific and Environmental Affairs, with additional support provided by the Trust for Mutual Understanding (USA). It was organized by Duke University's Center for International Development Research with the guidance of the International Committee of scientists from Russia, United States. Georgia and Italy and organizational assistance rendered by Venice International University. The Caspian Sea region is of profound importance from the perspective of global and regional environmental security. New geopolitical and economic circumstances have created a mixture of competition. reluctant collaboration, and legal, political, economic and ideological wrangling. There is an intense debate over how the Caspian and its resources should be divided among littoral states and how these resources are to be developed. While most littoral states and the international companies strive to develop the area's immense hydrocarbon potential, it is clear that the Caspian's unique and fragile ecosystem is at risk.