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After the collapse of the Soviet Union the Caucasus was wracked by ethnic and separatist violence as the peoples of the region struggled for self-determination. This book asks why nationalism emerged as a dominant political current, and why, of the many nationalist movements that emerged, some led to violence while others did not.
288pp Jan 2009
| Hardback | | 9781850659297 | | £25.00 | | Buy Now | | Paperback | | 9781850659877 | | £15.99 | | Buy Now |
After the collapse of the Soviet Union the Caucasus was wracked by ethnic and separatist violence as the peoples of the region struggled for self-determination. Vicken Cheterian, who spent many years as a reporter and analyst covering the region's conflicts, asks why nationalism emerged as a dominant political current, and why, of the many nationalist movements that emerged, some led to violence while others did not. He explains also why minority rebellions were victorious against larger armies, in mountainous Karabakh, Abkhazia, and in the first war of Chechnya, and discusses the ongoing instability and armed resistance in the North Caucasus. He concludes his book by examining chapters the great power competition between Russia, the US, and the EU over the oil and gas resources of the Caspian region.
Reviews
‘This book is essential reading for all who want to
understand the roots of conflicts in the Caucasus and those who seek to build a lasting peace in this strategically important region. The recent war between Georgia and Russia has demonstrated that the international community was wrong in assuming that conflicts in Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Nagorno- Karabakh can remain unresolved for decades. Vicken Cheterian’s detailed and balanced account of brutal conflicts and their implications for the post-Soviet development of Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan stands out on this subject. His nuanced understanding of the historic legacies and modern challenges facing the region, its peoples, and its leaders is based on many years living and travelling in the Caucasus. He describes why diplomacy has failed to deliver reconciliation and just peace, and his insights should inform any future efforts to promote regional stability.’ — Oksana Antonenko, program director (Russia and Eurasia), International Institute for Strategic Studies
‘With the South Caucasus suddenly thrust into the
centre of world attention, Vicken Cheterian’s book
could not be more timely. Cheterian comes to this
topic both as an insider with intimate deep knowledge of the region and as a cool analyst who brings the critical insights of a journalist and the sober judgements of a scholar to bear on historical and political complexities. His story is placed squarely in the context of Soviet collapse and the competing national projects of the Armenians, Azerbaijanis, Georgians, Abkhaz, Ossetians, and Russians. Rather than seeing conflict as primordial or inevitable, Cheterian reveals both the conjunctures
and contingencies that made what seemed unavoidable possible. His analysis and interpretations range from pipelines to politicians and provide readers with the most comprehensive understanding of what lies behind the often distorted public rhetoric of state leaders.’ — Professor Ronald Grigor Suny, University of Michigan
‘From Armenian family background, Cheterian does not hesitate to name Armenian excesses in the pursuit of independence for Karabakh. In his contributions to several institutes, journalism projects, and to Le Monde Diplomatique and opendemocracy.net, he represents a current of independent, evidence-based reportage and analysis
that may just become strong enough to promote rational engagement with the possibilities
of peace in the Caucasus.’ — Irish Times
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--- War and Peace in the Caucasus
| ‘The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the possibility of more such operations in future, make Sir Michael Howard’s book of the greatest importance. It should be read not only by analysts, but by every concerned Western citizen.’ —Anatol Lieven ‘This is a book that everyone should read. It is a short, elegant masterpiece, where every chapter has the cliff-hangar ending of peace being declared, only to be followed by a new phase of war, more awful than that which had gone before.’ —Professor James Gow, Dept. of War Studies, King’s College London ‘lucid, witty and trenchant … these anti-war theories could hardly be more interestingly presented.’ —RUSI Journal ‘so well written that it could be read as a novel—except few novels are so interesting. To take one strand of history and unravel it in this way is not only a service to historians but to the ordinary bus-riding liberal anxious to clarify his own thought’ —Books and Bookmen |
--- War and the Liberal Conscience
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