Geopolitical Changes and Crises in The Caucasus
Subject Areas : علوم سیاسی
Parvin
Dadandish
1
()
Mohmood
Vaezi
2
()
Keywords: Russia, Georgia, Crisis, Caucasus, Geopolitical Changes, United States,
Abstract :
The Caucasus has seen numerous crises since the region gained independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Some of these crises have not been resolved yet as evidenced by recent Russia-Georgia conflict. This paper seeks to analyze such crises within the framework of significant geopolitical changes unfolded by the collapse of the Soviet Union. The author argues that in the post-Soviet era, the Russians lost much of their control over the region due to their own domestic problems, but it seems that Moscow is not interested in withdrawing further from the region. The author concludes that under current conditions, it seems that as long as all regional and trans-regional powers fail to consider the interests of other powers or try to pose threats to them, the crises will continue to unfold in the Caucasus, while there is no agreed dispute settlement mechanism in the region as well.
Refrences
Abrar Newspaper, No. 1673, August 16, 1994.
Afshordi Mohammad Hossein,(2002) Geopolitics of the Caucasus and the Foreign Policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Tehran: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
"Russia Hits back at NATO Warning," BBC News, August 19, 2008.
British Petroleum, "2007 Proved Oil Reserves Statistical Review," October 2008.
Brzezinski Zbigniew, (1997) The Grand Chessboard: American Primacy and Its Geostrategic Implications, New York: Basic Books.
Buzan, Barry and Ole Waever, (2003) Regions and Power: The Structure of International Security, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Chayes Abram and Chayes Antonia Handler, "Transition and Conflict: Russian and American Perspectives on the Former Soviet Union," in Arbatov Alexei, Chayes Abram, Chayes Antonia Handler and Olson Lara (eds.) (1997) Managing Conflict in the Former Soviet Union: Russian and American Perspectives, Cambridge: The MIT Press.
Coppieters Bruno (ed.)(1996) Contested Borders in the Caucasus, Brussels: VUBPress.
Cotamtine Arvani Topulous,(1999) Security Dilemmas in Eurasia, Athens: Nereus.
Craig Nation R., "Russia, the United States and the Caucasus," Strategic Studies Institute Newsletter, February 2007.
Erlanger Steven, "Putin Takes a Softer Tone at NATO Summit," International Herald Tribune, April 4, 2008.
"European Neighborhood Policy," Strategy Paper, Communication from the Commission of the Communities, Brussels May 12, 2004.
Fontain Andre,(1993) One without the Other: The New World Order, Trans. Abdulreza Houshang Mahdavi, Tehran: Fakhteh.
Freire Maria Raquel, (2003) Conflict and Security in the Former Soviet Union: The Role of the OSCE, Surrey, UK: Ashgate Publishing.
Friedman Georg, "The Russo-Georgian War and the Balance of Power," August 12, 2008, accessed at:
http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/russo_georgian_war_and_balance_power.
Goldenberg Suzanne,(1996) "The Pride of the Small Caucasian Nations and Post-Soviet Disturbances," Trans. Bahram Amirahmadian, Central Asia and the Caucasus Studies Quarterly, Vol. 5, No. 15, Fall.
Gurr Ted Robert, “People against States; Ethno- Political Conflict and the Changing World System," International Studies Quarterly, September 1994.
Gurr Ted Robert, "Sectarian Clashes and World Security," Political-Economic Ettela'at, Nos. 115-116, March-April 1997.
Jackson Nicole J.(2003) Russian Foreign Policy and the CIS, London: Routledge.
Khordad Newspaper, No. 278, December 12, 1999.
Malaek Mohammad Hossein, "The Implications of the Georgia Crisis for the Islamic Republic of Iran," Strategic Report, No. 4, Center for Strategic Research, September 2008.
Maslow Abraham H. “Theory of Human Motivation,” Psychological Review, Vol. 50, No. 4, 1943.
Ozhiganov Edward, "The North Caucasus Triangle," Megapolis Express, No. 21, 1993.
Pataraia Tamara and David Darchiashvili (2003) "Security Regime Building in the South Caucasus," in Herd Graeme P. and Moroney Jennifer D. P. (eds.), Security Dynamics in the Former Soviet Bloc, London: Routeldge Curzon.
Rand Corporation, The Objectives and Interests of the West in the Caspian Basin, Trans. Institute for Caspian Sea Studies, Tehran: Foreign Ministry Press, 2002.
Rettman Andrew, "EU Caucasus Trip Opens New Policy Horizon," EU Observer, February 15, 2006.
Seifzadeh Hossein, "The Caucasus and the Unsolvable Dilemma of National Identity," Central Asia and the Caucasus Studies Quarterly, Vol. 8, No. 27, fall 1999.
Socor Vladimir, "Rose, Orange Revolutions' Protagonists against ‘Color Revolution' in Azerbaijan," The Eurasia Daily Monitor, November 1, 2005.
Szayna Thomas S., "Potential for Ethnic Conflict in the Caspian Region," in Olga Oliker (ed.)(2003) Faultlines of Conflict in Central Asia and the South Caucasus: Implications for the U.S. Army, Washington D.C.: Rand Corporation.
Tabatabaei Mehrzad, "The Minsk Group: Considerations and Facts," Central Asia and the Caucasus Studies Quarterly, Vol. 12, No. 42, summer 2003.
Talbott Strobe, "Global Turmoil: Pakistan, Russia, Georgia and Iran", The Brookings Institution, August 18, 2008.
"The Basic Provisions of the Military Doctrine of the Russian Federation," November 2, 1993, accessed at:
http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/russia/doctrine/russia-mil-doc.html.
The Christian Science Monitor, June 27, 1994.
Trenin Dimitri, "Russia's Threat Perception and Strategic Posture," in Trenin Dimitri and Craig Nation R. (eds.)(2007) Russian Security Strategy under Putin: U.S. and Russian Perspectives, Strategic Studies Institute, November.
Vaezi Mahmood(2007), The Geopolitics of Crisis in Central Asia and the Caucasus; Foundations and Actors, Tehran: Institute for Political and International Studies.
"Western Secret Services Plotted Separating Chechnya from RF," April 22, 2008, accessed at: http://www.guardian-psj.ru/terrorism-article-5.
Zurcher Christoph,(2007) The Post-Soviet Wars: Rebellion, Ethnic Conflict, and Nationhood in the Caucasus, New York: New York University Press.
