Transcaucasian Boundaries (SOAS GRC Geopolitics)

Book Cover......Page 1
Half-Title......Page 2
Series Title......Page 3
Title......Page 4
Copyright......Page 5
Contents......Page 6
Acknowledgements......Page 7
Contributors......Page 8
Introduction......Page 10
Background note: reflections on Chechnya......Page 19
CHAPTER ONE Nationalities and borders in Transcaucasia and the northern Caucasus......Page 24
Nationalism and the state......Page 27
The situation in the republics......Page 33
 The Russian Federation......Page 37
The future......Page 38
CHAPTER TWO Russia and Transcaucasia......Page 43
Historical overview......Page 44
Russian perceptions of Transcaucasia......Page 50
Security factors......Page 55
Russian policy towards Transcaucasia......Page 59
Introduction: Turkey and the end of the Cold War......Page 63
Turkey’s foreign policy: determinants, resources, strategies......Page 64
Black Sea co-operation: aims, experience and prospects......Page 66
Turkey and Transcaucasia......Page 69
CHAPTER FOUR Condemned to react, unable to influence: Iran and Transcaucasia......Page 80
The Czarist and early Soviet periods......Page 82
The Azerbaijan question: 1945–6 and after......Page 85
Tehran and the post-Soviet system, 1988–93......Page 89
Limits on Iranian policy......Page 94
Policy guidelines......Page 96
CHAPTER FIVE The Armenian presence in mountainous Karabakh......Page 98
CHAPTER SIX The republic of Azerbaijan: notes on the state borders in the past and the present......Page 121
CHAPTER SEVEN The geopolitics of Georgia......Page 142
The evolution of Georgia’s borders......Page 143
Georgian geopolitical perceptions......Page 145
Georgia’s geopolitical position......Page 146
The Georgian-Abkhazian dispute......Page 149
The perceptions......Page 150
The positions......Page 152
Political solutions......Page 155
Conclusion......Page 157
CHAPTER EIGHT The Georgian/South Ossetian territorial and boundary dispute......Page 159
Patterns of Ossetian settlement......Page 160
Patterns of overlordship and control in South Ossetia......Page 161
Ethnic identification and loyalties in South Ossetia......Page 168
The present conflict—origins and causes......Page 169
The heritage of antagonism......Page 170
Georgian moves to secure independence......Page 171
Georgian insensitivity to Ossetian needs......Page 174
The emergence of the Ossetian Popular Front......Page 176
External manipulation of the issue......Page 177
USSR involvement......Page 178
Russian Republic involvement......Page 184
Georgian involvement......Page 187
Solutions and prospects......Page 191
Solution 1—autonomy within Georgia......Page 192
Solution 2—concentration of Ossetians in North Ossetia......Page 193
UNITY WITHIN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION......Page 195
UNITY AS AN INDEPENDENT STATE......Page 197
Conclusion......Page 198
Introduction......Page 199
Historical survey......Page 202
The argument......Page 204
The historical settlement of Abkhazia......Page 205
Samurzaqano......Page 208
Georgianization......Page 211
Future prospects......Page 219
The conflict escalates......Page 223
References......Page 231
Appendix......Page 232
Index......Page 235