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War and Peace in the Caucasus: Ethnic Conflict and the New Geopolitics
Having spent decades reporting on conflicts in Georgia and Chechnya, Vicken Cheterian provides an authoritative account of ethno-nationalistic strife in the Caucasus since the collapse of the Soviet Union. He investigates why some nationalist movements became violent while others did not and explores various secessionist rebellions in the region. He also discusses ongoing instability in the North Caucasus, Georgia, and Armenia, and analyzes the competition between Western powers and a newly resurgent Russia for the Caucasus's hydrocarbon resources.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published December 29, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 1, 2009
A well done, almost breathtaking, historical review of the conflicts in Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Chechnya, and Karabakh. While Cheterian doesn't bring substantial new thinking to the issues of the Caucasus, his insight avoids falling into weak arguments that have been a disservice to previous works. I almost gave the book 5 stars for taking some of Svante Cornell's "research" to task in the book, but who couldn't do that?
February 9, 2018
If one is put off from this book due to being nearly ten years old, they should seriously reconsider, as there exists no other such broad based, analytical and objective work on the conflicts in the Caucasus.
Contained are separate analyses of the 3 conflicts that have traumatized the post-Soviet Caucasus, the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Chechen Wars 1 and 2, and the various conflicts affecting Georgia, including the largely unknown Mingrelian War.
Cheterian uses an analysis that reveals no noticeable biases and provides very deep insight into how the conflicts brewed from below and flared in to conflict from various mistakes and misunderstandings of the elites.
The penultimate chapter on the politics of pipelines adds a new dimension and something of a mirror to the future of the Caucasus as it becomes the subject of a new "Great Game."
While the book went to press as a game changing event was underway (the 2008 Russia-Georgia War) it nonetheless features in the afterword, giving important reflection to the ramifications of such an event.
But what matters is that this book contains crucial information on the conflicts in the Caucasus and is both highly academic and surprisingly readable.
Contained are separate analyses of the 3 conflicts that have traumatized the post-Soviet Caucasus, the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Chechen Wars 1 and 2, and the various conflicts affecting Georgia, including the largely unknown Mingrelian War.
Cheterian uses an analysis that reveals no noticeable biases and provides very deep insight into how the conflicts brewed from below and flared in to conflict from various mistakes and misunderstandings of the elites.
The penultimate chapter on the politics of pipelines adds a new dimension and something of a mirror to the future of the Caucasus as it becomes the subject of a new "Great Game."
While the book went to press as a game changing event was underway (the 2008 Russia-Georgia War) it nonetheless features in the afterword, giving important reflection to the ramifications of such an event.
But what matters is that this book contains crucial information on the conflicts in the Caucasus and is both highly academic and surprisingly readable.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews