SCIENCE: Vol. 4 (1) - Winter 2010 issue of the Caucasian Review of International Affairs (CRIA) (cria-online.org)

Vol. 4 (1) - Winter 2010 issue of the Caucasian Review of International Affairs (CRIA) is now available on-line at http://www.cria-online.org

The Table of Contents of the Issue is attached below.

Deadlines for submissions for CRIA’s Spring 2010 issue and Summer 2010 issue are March 15, 2010 and June 15, 2010, respectively. CRIA accepts articles from authors as original contributions. Submission guidelines can be viewed at http://www.cria-online.org/Submit_a_Paper.html .

Yours Faithfully,

Nasimi Aghayev

Editor-in-Chief
Caucasian Review of International Affairs
Email: contact@cria-online.org
Web: www.cria-online.org
ISSN: 1865-6773


VOL. 4 (1) - WINTER 2010

TABLE OF CONTENTS

-Note from the Editor-in-Chief (pp. 1-2)
Nasimi Aghayev (http://cria-online.org/10_1.html)

RESEARCH PAPERS

-Russia’s Pragmatic Reimperialization (pp. 3-19)
by Janusz Bugajski (http://cria-online.org/10_2.html)

-Puzzles of State Transformation: The Case of Armenia and Georgia (pp. 20-34)
by Nicole Gallina (http://cria-online.org/10_3.html)

-Russia’s National Security Strategy to 2020: A Great Power in the Making? (pp. 35-42)
by Sophia Dimitrakopoulou & Andrew Liaropoulos (http://cria-online.org/10_4.html)

-International Language Rights Norms in the Dispute over Latinization Reform in the Republic
of Tatarstan (pp. 43-56)
by Dilyara Suleymanova (http://cria-online.org/10_5.html)

-European Foreign Policy after Lisbon: Strengthening the EU as an International Actor (pp. 57-72)
by Kateryna Koehler (http://cria-online.org/10_6.html)

COMMENTARIES

-The Fall of the Berlin Wall: Twenty Years of Reform (pp. 73-81)
by Aleksandr Shkolnikov & Anna Nadgrodkiewicz (http://cria-online.org/10_7.html)

-Kazan: The Religiously Undivided Frontier City (pp. 82-86)
by Matthew Derrick (http://cria-online.org/10_8.html)

INTERVIEW

“The Current Trend of the Kremlin is to Rather Formally Distance itself from the North
Caucasus” (pp. 87-90), Interview with Dr. Emil Souleimanov, Charles University,
Prague, Czechia (http://cria-online.org/10_9.html)

BOOK REVIEWS

-“The Guns of August 2008: Russia’s War in Georgia”, edited by Svante E. Cornell and
Frederick Starr (pp. 91-96)
Review by Till Bruckner (http://cria-online.org/10_10.html)

-“The Caucasus: An Introduction” by Frederik Coene (pp. 97-98)
Review by Alexander Jackson (http://cria-online.org/10_11.html)

-“When Empire Meets Nationalism. Power Politics in the US and Russia” by Didier Chaudet,
Florent Parmentier & Benoît Pelopidas (pp. 99-100)
Review by Samuel Lussac (http://cria-online.org/10_12.html)


CRIA is a Germany-based quarterly peer-reviewed online academic journal. The Review is committed to promote a better understanding of the regional affairs by providing relevant background information and analysis, as far as the Caucasus in general, and the South Caucasus in particular are concerned. CRIA also welcomes lucid, well-documented papers on other countries and regions including especially Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, Russia, Ukraine, and Eastern Europe, as well as on all aspects of international affairs, from all political viewpoints. CRIA is indexed/abstracted in Columbia International Affairs Online, ProQuest Research Library, EBSCOhost Political Science Complete, Directory of Open Access Journals, Ulrich’s Periodicals Directory, Deutsche Nationalbibliothek, etc.

CALL FOR PAPERS: FOR THE WINTER 2010 AND SPRING 2010 ISSUES OF THE CAUCASIAN REVIEW OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS (cria-online.org)

CALL FOR PAPERS FOR THE WINTER 2010 AND SPRING 2010 ISSUES OF THE CAUCASIAN REVIEW OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

The Caucasian Review of International Affairs (CRIA) is pleased to invite submissions for its Winter 2010 issue (Vol. 4, No. 1) and Spring 2010 issue (Vol. 4, No. 2) to be published respectively in the beginning of February 2010 and May 2010. Deadlines for submissions are December 15, 2009 for the Winter 2010 issue, and March 15, 2010 for the Spring 2010 issue. Submission guidelines can be viewed at http://cria-online.org/Submit_a_Paper.html .

CRIA is particularly interested in papers on the following topics:

Regional topics:

- Western energy interests in the South Caucasus and Central Asia;
- Prospects of the Nabucco gas pipeline;
- Prospects of the White Stream gas pipeline;
- European Union and the South Caucasus;
- European Union and the conflict resolution in the South Caucasus;
- Prospects of the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict;
- Turkish-Armenian rapprochement;
- Relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey;
- Separatist conflicts in Georgia;
- Georgia and its NATO-membership aspirations;
- Russian policy towards the South Caucasus;
- US policy towards the South Caucasus;
- Prospects of the South Caucasian regional security;
- Regional integration in the South Caucasus;
- Situation in the North Caucasus;
- Ethno-nationalism and violence in the North-Western Caucasus;
- Different faces of Sufi Islam in the present-day North Caucasus;
- Israel in the Caucasus;
- Azerbaijan’s foreign policy;
- Azerbaijan's relations with the Moslem world;
- Islam in Azerbaijan; Islam in the Caucasus;
- Foreign policy of Armenia;
- Iran-Armenia relations;
- Azerbaijani community of Iran;
- Legal status of the Caspian Sea;
- Azerbaijan-Turkmenistan legal dispute over the oil fields in the Caspian Sea;
- Turkey’s new foreign policy;
- Turkey 's accession to the EU;
- Iran-Turkey relations;
- Iran’s nuclear program;
- New Islamic directions in Central Asia: internal and external dimensions;
- Global and regional powers in Central Asia;
- Energy security in Central Asia;
- Ukraine 's foreign policy;
- Moldova’s foreign policy;
- Armenian Diaspora and lobby in the US.

International relations and general topics:

- Theory of International Relations;
- Problems of the Modern International Law;
- US foreign policy;
- Russia’s foreign policy;
- China’s foreign policy;
- EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy and the foreign policies of the member-states;

This is a preliminary list. Please feel free to offer alternative topics, including book reviews, to the Editor.

All correspondence and submissions should be e-mailed to:

contact@cria-online.org

CRIA is a Germany-based quarterly peer-reviewed online academic journal published in English. The Review is committed to promote a better understanding of the regional affairs by providing relevant background information and analysis, as far as the Caucasus in general, and the South Caucasus in particular are concerned. CRIA also welcomes lucid, well-documented papers on other countries and regions including especially Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, Russia, Ukraine, and Eastern Europe, as well as on all aspects of international affairs, from all political viewpoints. CRIA is indexed/abstracted in Columbia International Affairs Online, Directory of Open Access Journals, ProQuest Research Library, EBSCOhost Research Database, Ulrich’s Periodicals Directory, Deutsche Nationalbibliothek, etc. The last issue of the Review can be viewed at http://www.cria-online.org .

Best regards,

Nasimi Aghayev

Editor-in-Chief
Caucasian Review of International Affairs
Eppsteiner Str. 2, 60323 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Tel: +49 69 138 76 684
E-mail: contact@cria-online.org
Web: http://www.cria-online.org
ISSN: 1865-6773

SCIENCE: Vol. 3 (4) - Autumn 2009 issue of the Caucasian Review of International Affairs (CRIA) (cria-online.org)

Vol. 3 (4) - Autumn 2009 issue of the Caucasian Review of International Affairs (CRIA) is now available on-line at www.cria-online.org

The Table of Contents of the Issue is attached below.

Deadlines for submissions for CRIA’s Winter 2010 issue and Spring 2010 issue are December 15, 2009 and March 15, 2010, respectively.
Submission guidelines can be viewed at http://www.cria-online.org/Submit_a_Paper.html .

Yours Faithfully,

Nasimi Aghayev

Editor-in-Chief
Caucasian Review of International Affairs
www.cria-online.org
ISSN: 1865-6773


VOL. 3 (4) - AUTUMN 2009

TABLE OF CONTENTS

-Note from the Editor-in-Chief (331-332)
Nasimi Aghayev

RESEARCH PAPERS

-Alternative Dispute Resolution in the North Caucasus (pp. 333-341)
by Renée Gendron

-The Implications of the 1993 U.N. Security Council Action for the Settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict (pp. 342-370)
by Rovshan Sadigbayli

-Political Economy of Old-Age Pension Reforms in Georgia (pp. 371-386)
by Alexi Gugushvili

-Corruption in Russia: A Model Exploring its Economic Costs (pp. 387-403)
by Michael P. Barry

-Experiments in Soft Balancing: China- led Multilateralism in Africa
and the Arab World (pp. 404-434)
by Nicola P. Contessi

COMMENT

-Between NATO & Russia: Ukraine’s Foreign Policy Crossroads Revisited (pp. 435-444)
by Mykola Kapitonenko

BOOK REVIEW

-“An Endless War: The Russian-Chechen Conflict in Perspective”
by Emil Souleimanov (pp. 445-446)
Review by Martin Malek

INTERVIEW

-“Armenia & Georgia:
Corruption, the State, and Change” (pp. 447-451)
Interview with Dr. Christoph H. Stefes, University of Colorado Denver, US

-“If Turkish-Armenian Border Reopens,
Georgia Will Become Less Important” (pp. 452-455)
Interview with Dr. Hans Gutbrod and Koba Turmanidze, Caucasus Research Resource Centers, Tbilisi, Georgia


CRIA is a Germany-based quarterly peer-reviewed online academic journal. The Review is committed to promote a better understanding of the regional affairs by providing relevant background information and analysis, as far as the Caucasus in general, and the South Caucasus in particular are concerned. CRIA also welcomes lucid, well-documented papers on other countries and regions including especially Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, Russia, Ukraine, and Eastern Europe, as well as on all aspects of international affairs, from all political viewpoints. CRIA is indexed/abstracted in Columbia International Affairs Online, Directory of Open Access Journals, ProQuest Research Library, EBSCOhost Research Database, Ulrich’s Periodicals Directory, Deutsche Nationalbibliothek, etc.

REVIEW: IS TURKEY TURNING EAST? By Nasimi Aghayev (cria-online.org)

Caucasus Update No. 53 - Caucasian Review of International Affairs (CRIA)

For some time, there have been fears that Turkey has begun moving away from its traditional Euro-Atlantic orientation, towards the Middle East and the Muslim world. Turkey’s condemnation of Israel’s attack on Gaza in January was followed by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s walk-out during a debate with Israeli President Shimon Peres at the World Economic Forum.

In early October, Turkey vetoed Israel’s participation in a joint air-force exercise, again citing its conduct in Gaza. In the same week Turkish TV aired a show portraying Israeli soldiers as child- killers, provoking fury in Tel Aviv.

On a recent visit to Iran, the Turkish premier signed a gas deal and several economic cooperation agreements (Press TV, October 28). Before the visit, Mr Erdogan defended Iran’s right to nuclear energy and accused those countries which oppose Tehran’s atomic program of hypocrisy (Guardian, October 26). Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was understandably delighted, and pundits in the West were understandably shaken.

The New York Times argued that lack of progress on EU membership was driving Turkey away (NY Times, October 27). The Christian Science Monitor called it ‘worrisome’ (Christian Science Monitor, October 29). Overall, the assumption seems to be that Turkey’s growing clout, and disillusionment with its EU membership talks, is leading it towards a closer relationship with autocratic Middle Eastern states like Iran and Syria.

So are Europe and America ‘losing’ Turkey? Probably not. The evidence in support of this theory is disjointed and selective, and ignores other key facts. On Israel, for instance, this argument assumes that Turkey’s fury over Gaza is in some way manufactured, that it is designed entirely to win support on the ‘Arab street’ (and indeed the Persian street).

Although Turkey’s leaders are not blind to the credit that this will earn them in the Muslim world (also, within Turkey itself), there is little doubt that their anger is genuine. Turkey has been attempting to encourage progress on the Arab-Israeli peace process for years, and saw its fragile gains destroyed during Operation Cast Lead. Rightly or wrongly, Ankara sees Israel as mainly responsible. As for the TV program, it would be absurd to assume that the Turkish government was responsible for the content and the timing.

It is also odd to link Turkish anger at Israel with turning away from the EU. For all its links with Brussels and Washington, the Jewish state is not an integral part of ‘the West’, geographically or politically. Ankara is quite capable of opposing Israel’s actions without abandoning its EU membership application. And although the reputation of that process is heavily tarnished, and there is significant frustration amongst ordinary Turks over European hostility to Turkish membership, EU integration remains a priority of the AKP Government.

Senior Turkish officials have made this plain in recent days. They also poured cold water on the whole idea that Turkey is turning East – “Is it so easy to change direction?” asked President Abdullah Gul rhetorically (Today’s Zaman, October 30).

This statement hints at the heart of the matter. Complex states do not have a single geopolitical ‘direction’. President Gul visited Serbia on October 26th, but this hardly means that Ankara is seeking to re-establish Ottoman influence in the Balkans, as some seem to believe it is doing in the Middle East. To take another parallel, no-one would seriously believe that increased US diplomacy towards China would be a sign of abandoning NATO and Europe.

Ankara’s foreign policy, now more than ever, is famously focused on ‘zero problems with neighbours’ (RFE/RL, October 30). Given Turkey’s unique position at the confluence of so many different regions, this policy is bound to involve dealing with states whom the West distrusts – Iran, Russia, and Syria, for instance.

Expecting Turkey to suspend cooperation with Tehran is an easy judgement to make in Washington or Brussels, but not so in Ankara. An otherwise hostile Wall Street Journal acknowledged this on October 30, recognising that “nations do not have the luxury of picking their neighbours” (Wall Street Journal, October 30). Turkey needs Iran to cooperate: on energy, trade, and on containing Kurdish militants.

In any case, Turkey has absolutely no interest in a nuclear Iran. What most commentaries fearing a Turkish-Iranian alliance ignore is that, just a few weeks ago, Ankara ordered advanced Patriot missile batteries from the US (Eurasia Daily Monitor, September 16). It was keen to insist that this was not due to any threat, but the move is obviously in response to Iran’s strategic missile programme. Mr Erdogan’s praise of President Ahmadinejad was, given this context, simple diplomacy, made before a visit in which he hoped to secure extensive trade and energy deals. It would have been surprising, and contrary to Turkey’s foreign policy, to have prepared for his visit by thundering against the country’s nuclear program.

The ‘losing Turkey’ argument – which assumes that, given the AK Party’s Islamist past, Turkey is also becoming more Islamic in nature - also ignores moves such as the thaw with Christian Armenia. This was also undertaken in the framework of the same “zero problems” concept.

Assuming that Turkey is somehow moving away from the West, towards the Middle East, or towards some kind of pact with Iran, is a narrow view. It ignores historic rivalry between them, fails to recognise Turkish fears of an Iranian nuclear weapon (whatever Mr Erdogan might say in public), and conflates Israel with the EU or NATO. Most importantly, it underestimates Ankara’s foreign policy. Turkey is smart enough to be able to look East and West at the same time.

source: cria-online.org

ARTICLE: The Armenians of Georgia: A New Flashpoint in the Caucasus? (cria-online.org)

As Turkey and Armenia prepare to open their mutual border and begin a thaw in their relationship, there are fears that a recent spat between Tbilisi and Yerevan could heighten regional tensions once again.
In early September, Armenia’s President Serzh Sarkisian set out plans to improve the situation of Georgia’s ethnic Armenians. He called for the preservation of Armenian national monuments in Georgia, registering the Armenian Apostolic Church and – most importantly – recognising Armenian as an official language in Georgia.
The series of measures followed a visit by Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili to Yerevan in June, when Georgia’s Armenians formally called on President Sarkisian to raise their demands - for greater cultural and political rights - with President Saakashvili (RFE/RL, June 18). Not wishing to antagonise a vital ally when the ‘Turkish thaw’ still seemed distant, President Sarkisian quietly ignored the demands. Indeed, he actually praised the Georgian leader for his efforts at improving the social and economic welfare of Javakheti, a region mostly populated by ethnic Armenians in southern Georgia (RFE/RL, June 25).
The package of measures which President Sarkisian proposed in September therefore came as something of a surprise to Tbilisi. Georgian officials reacted with scorn – State Minister for Reintegration Temur Iakobashvili remarked that he was “very glad that Armenian language is the only state language in Armenia”, but that it would not be adopted in Georgia (Georgia Times, September 3).
Analysts have linked the timing of the move to the Turkish thaw. The imminent opening of the Turkish-Armenian border (if both parliaments ratify the move, which is still not certain) means that Georgia’s position as Armenia’s only easy transport corridor to the West is at risk. With the option of moving goods west through Turkey, rather than north-west to Georgia’s coast and then across the Black Sea, Tbilisi’s vital role as an economic lifeline for Yerevan will be lost.

Full article >>>

SCIENCE: PUBL.-Caucasian Review of International Affairs, Summer 09 issue (cria-online.org)

Dear ALL,Vol. 3 (3) - Summer 2009 issue of the Caucasian Review of International Affairs (CRIA)
is now available on-line at http://www.cria-online.org. The Table of Contents of the Issue is attached below.

Deadline for submission of papers for the next issue (Autumn 2009) isSeptember 30, 2009. Submission guidelines can be viewed at http://www.cria-online.org/Submit_a_Paper.html.
Yours Faithfully, Nasimi Aghayev
Editor-in-Chief
Caucasian Review of International Affairs
www.cria-online.org
ISSN: 1865-6773


TABLE OF CONTENTS, CRIA, Vol. 3 (3), SUMMER ’09

- Note from the Editor-In-Chief (p. 242-243)
Nasimi Aghayev (http://www.cria-online.org/8_1.html)

Research Papers

- Georgia & Russia:
Contradictory Media Coverage of the August War (pp. 244-260)
by Hans-Georg Heinrich & Kirill Tanaev (http://www.cria-online.org/8_2.html)

- Georgia and the Systemic Impact of the Financial Crisis (pp. 261-277)
by Marco Giuli (http://www.cria-online.org/8_3.html)

- Russia, EU, NATO and the Strengthening of the CSTO in Central Asia (pp. 278-290)
by Irina Ionela Pop (http://www.cria-online.org/8_4.html)

- Turkey: Regional Elections and the Kurdish Question (pp. 291-306)
by Eddy Ekrem Güzeldere (http://www.cria-online.org/8_5.html)

- Poverty Reduction Through Private Sector Development in Georgia: Policy, Practice and Perspectives (pp. 307-316)
by Vladimer Papava (http://www.cria-online.org/8_6.html)

Comment

- The Merging of Russia’s Regions as Applied Nationality Policy: A Suggested Rationale (pp. 317-323)
by Matthew Derrick (http://www.cria-online.org/8_7.html)

Book Review

-“China’s Energy Geopolitics: The Shanghai Cooperation Organization and Central Asia”
by Thrassy N. Marketos (pp. 324-325)
Review by Jan Künzl (http://www.cria-online.org/8_8.html)

Interview

-“Widespread Discontent in Russia May Well Lead to Further Resentment Towards Groups of Caucasian Origin” (pp. 326-330)
Interview with Katerina Strani, Researcher, Greek Parliament (http://www.cria-online.org/8_9.html)


CRIA is a Germany-registered quarterly peer-reviewed non-profit and online academic journal. The Review is committed to promote a better understanding of the regional affairs by providing relevant background information and analysis, as far as the Caucasus in general, and the South Caucasus in particular are concerned. CRIA also welcomes lucid, well-documented papers on other countries and regions including especially Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, Russia, Ukraine, Eastern Europe as well as on all aspects of international affairs, from all political viewpoints. CRIA is indexed/abstracted in Columbia International Affairs Online, Directory of Open Access Journals, ProQuest Research Library, EBSCOhost Research Database, Ulrich’s Periodicals Directory, Deutsche Nationalbibliothek, etc.

SCIENCE: PUBL.-Caucasian Review of International Affairs, Spring 09 issue (cria-online.org)

Vol. 3 (2) - Spring 2009 issue of the Caucasian Review of International Affairs (CRIA)
is now available on-line at www.cria-online.org. The Table of Contents of the Issue is attached below.

Deadline for submission of papers for the next issue (Summer 2009) is June 30, 2009. Manuscript guidelines can be found at here >>>

Yours Faithfully,
Nasimi Aghayev
Editor-in-ChiefCaucasian Review of International Affairs
www.cria-online.org
ISSN: 1865-6773


TABLE OF CONTENTS, CRIA, Vol. 3 (2), SPRING 09

- Note from the Editor-In-Chief (p. 120)
Nasimi Aghayev (http://www.cria-online.org/7_1.html)

Research Papers

- Implications of Kosovo, Abkhazia and South Ossetia for International Law: The Conduct of the Community of States in Current Secession Conflicts (pp. 121-142)
by Heiko Krueger (http://www.cria-online.org/7_2.html)

- The European Union’s Eastern Partnership: Chances and Perspectives (pp. 143-155)
by Marcin Łapczyński (http://www.cria-online.org/7_3.html)

- Democratic Transition in Georgia: Post-Rose Revolution Internal Pressures on Leadership (pp. 156-171)
by Jesse David Tatum (http://www.cria-online.org/7_4.html)

- Decision-Making and Georgia’s Perpetual Revolution: The Case of IDP Housing (pp. 172-180)
by Till Bruckner (http://www.cria-online.org/7_5.html)

- Victimisation of Female Suicide Bombers: The Case of Chechnya (pp. 181-188)
by Nino Kemoklidze (http://www.cria-online.org/7_6.html)

- Dutch Disease in Uzbekistan? (pp. 189-209)
by Michael P. Barry (http://www.cria-online.org/7_7.html)

- How the West Was Won: China’s Expansion into Central Asia (pp. 210-218)
by Henryk Szadziewski (http://www.cria-online.org/7_8.html)

Comments

- Split in the Russian Political Tandem Putin-Medvedev? (pp. 219-226)
by Eberhard Schneider (http://www.cria-online.org/7_9.html)

- Georgia and Russia: The “Unknown” Prelude to the “Five Day War” (pp. 227-232)
by Martin Malek (http://www.cria-online.org/7_10.html)

Book Review

- “Handbook of International Humanitarian Law” by Dieter Fleck (pp. 233-236)
Review
by Pierre-Emmanuel Dupont (http://www.cria-online.org/7_11.html)

Interview

- “Federalization Remains the Best Way for Georgia to Avoid Outbreaks of Further Internal Disputes” (pp. 237-241)
Interview with Prof. George Hewitt, London School of Oriental & African Studies, UK (http://www.cria-online.org/7_12.html)

CRIA is a Germany-registered quarterly peer-reviewed free, non-profit and online academic journal. The Review is committed to promote a better understanding of the regional affairs by providing relevant background information and analysis, as far as the Caucasus in general, and the South Caucasus in particular are concerned. CRIA also welcomes lucid, well-documented papers on other countries and regions including especially Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, Russia, Ukraine, Eastern Europe as well as on all aspects of international affairs, from all political viewpoints. CRIA is indexed/abstracted in Directory of Open Access Journals, ProQuest Research Library, EBCOhost Research Database, Ulrich’s Periodicals Directory, Deutsche Nationalbibliothek, etc.

AmazonShop: Books, Maps, Videos, Music & Gifts About The Caucasus

CALL FOR PAPERS: Caucasian Review of International Affairs (CRIA)

All for Papers for the Spring 2009 issue (Vol. 3, No. 2) of the Caucasian Review of International Affairs

Caucasian Review of International Affairs (CRIA) announces a call for papers for its Spring 2009 issue to be published at the end of April 2009.

Deadline for submissions is March 31, 2009. Submission guidelines can be found at here >>>

CRIA is particularly interested in papers on the following topics:
- Prospects of the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict after the recent developments in the region;
- Recent attempts of rapprochement in Turkish-Armenian relations and their prospects;
- Russian policy towards the South Caucasus;
- GUAM and its role in the security of the member-states;
- The recent initiatives for the stability in the Caucasus – their prospects;
- European Union and the conflict resolution in the South Caucasus;
- Eastern Partnership initiative of the European Union – chances and prospects;
- Western energy interests in the South Caucasus and Central Asia, especially the Nabucco project;
- Role of the South Caucasus in the energy security of Europe;
- Situation in the North Caucasus;
- Iranian nuclear program and its implications for the South Caucasus
- Germany and South Caucasus;
- Georgia and its NATO-membership aspirations;
- Integration of the South Caucasus to the Euro-Atlantic structures;
- Prospects of the South Caucasian regional security;
- Global financial crisis and the South Caucasus;
- Israel in the Caucasus;
- Azerbaijan's relations with the Islamic world;
- Foreign Policy of Armenia;
- Iran-Armenia relations;
- Azerbaijani community of Iran;
- Legal status of the Caspian Sea;
- China in Central Asia;
- Foreign Policy of Turkmenistan under the new government;
- Turkey's accession to the EU;
- Iran-Turkey relations;
- Ukraine's foreign policy - NATO and EU versus Russia;
- Armenian Diaspora and lobby in the US – its influence over US foreign policy;
- What will be Obama's foreign policy towards Turkey and South Caucasus?

This is a preliminary list. Please feel free to offer alternative topics, including book reviews, to the Editor.
The CRIA is a Germany-registered quarterly peer-reviewed free, non-profit and online academic journal. The Review is committed to promote a better understanding of the regional affairs by providing relevant background information and analysis, as far as the Caucasus in general, and the South Caucasus in particular are concerned. The CRIA also welcomes lucid, well-documented papers on all aspects of international affairs, from all political viewpoints. The last issue of the Review can be viewed at www.cria-online.org.

Best regards,
Nasimi Aghayev
Editor-in-Chief
Caucasian Review of International Affairs
www.cria-online.org
ISSN: 18656773

SCIENCE: Caucasian Review of International Affairs, Vol. 3 (1) -Winter 2009

is now available on-line at www.cria-online.org .

The Table of Contents of the Issue is attached below.

Deadline for submission of papers for the next issue (Spring 2009) is

March 31, 2009. Manuscript guidelines can be found at http://cria- online.org/ Submit_a_ Paper.html .
Best regards, Nasimi Aghayev
Editor-in-Chief
Caucasian Review of International Affairs
www.cria-online.org
ISSN: 1865-6773

TABLE OF CONTENTS, CRIA, vol. 3 (1), Winter 09
-Note from the Editor-in-Chief, Nasimi Aghayev(http://cria- online.org/ 6_1.html)

RESEARCH PAPERS
-"Eastern Caspian Sea Energy Geopolitics: A Litmus Test for the U.S. –Russia – China Struggle for the Geostrategic Control of Eurasia", by Thrassy Marketos (http://cria- online.org/ 6_2.html )
-"Battle of Two Logics: Appropriateness and Consequentiality in Russian Interventions in Georgia", by Robert Nalbandov (http://cria- online.org/ 6_3.html)
-"Resolving Post-Soviet "Frozen Conflicts": Is Regional IntegrationHelpful?" by Mykola Kapitonenko (http://cria- online.org/ 6_4.html)
-"Diaspora Design versus Homeland Realities: Case Study of Armenian Diaspora", by Bahar Baser & Ashok Swain (http://cria- online.org/ 6_5.html)
-"Competing Islamic Traditions in the Caucasus", by Dobroslawa Wiktor-Mach (http://cria- online.org/ 6_6.html)
-"Globalization and National Competitiveness of Georgia", by George Ivaniashvili- Orbeliani (http://cria- online.org/ 6_7.html)
-"External Powers' Influence upon the Reform and Political Elites inPresent Kyrgyzstan", by Irina Morozova (http://cria- online.org/ 6_8.html)

COMMENTS
- "The End of the Frozen Cold War?", by Vladimer Papava (http://cria- online.org/ 6_9.html)
-"The Kosovo precedent - Applicable in Many Parts of the World, But Not Directly in the South Caucasus", by Dominik Tolksdorf (http://cria- online.org/ 6_10.html)
-"The Kosovo Precedent - Directly Applicable to Abkhazia and South Ossetia", by Sebastian Schaeffer(http://cria- online.org/ 6_11.html)

INTERVIEW
-"There has never been an unbiased Russian mediation in SouthCaucasian conflicts", Interview with Dr. Martin Malek, National Defense Academy, Austria (http://cria- online.org/ 6_14.html)

BOOK REVIEWS
(http://cria-online.org/Book_Reviews.html)

The CRIA is a Germany-registered quarterly peer-reviewed free, non-profit and online academic journal. The Review is committed to promote a better understanding of the regional affairs by providing relevant background information and analysis, as far as the Caucasus in general, and the South Caucasus in particular are concerned. The CRIA also welcomes lucid, well-documented papers on all aspects of international affairs, from all political viewpoints.

SCIENCE: Caucasian Review of International Affairs, Vol. 2 (4) -Autumn 2008

Autumn 2008 issue of the Caucasian Review of International Affairs
(CRIA) is now available on-line at here >>>

Contents:

- Note from the Editor-in-Chief (http://cria-online.org/5_1.html)
- "The Russian Invasion of Georgia Its Impact on Israel and the Middle East", by Robert O. Freedman (http://cria-online.org/5_2.html)
- "The 1992-93 Georgia-Abkhazia War: A Forgotten Conflict", by Alexandros Petersen (http://cria-online.org/5_3.html)
- "Inspired from Abroad: The External Sources of Separatism in Azerbaijan", by Fareed Shafee (http://cria-online.org/5_4.html)
- "The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railroad And Its Geopolitical Implications for the South Caucasus", by Samuel Lussac (http://cria-online.org/5_5.html)
- "The EU's Neighborhood Policy and the South Caucasus: Unfolding New Patterns of Cooperation", by Maria Raquel and Licínia Simão (http://cria-online.org/5_6.html)
- "Normative Suasion and Political Change in Central Asia", by Alexander Warkotsch (http://cria-online.org/5_7.html)
- "Georgia could become a NATO member, only if it accepted Russia 's takeover of Abkhazia and South Ossetia", Interview with Core Welt, Georgetown University (http://cria-online.org/5_8.html)
- "The Caucasus needs a rest after the war", Interview with Alexander Rahr, German Council on Foreign Relations (http://cria-online.org/5_9.html)
- Book Reviews (http://cria-online.org/Book_Reviews.html)

The CRIA is a Germany-registered quarterly peer-reviewed free, non-profit and online academic journal. The Review is committed to promote a better understanding of the regional affairs by providing relevant background information and analysis, as far as the Caucasus in general, and the South Caucasus in particular are concerned. The CRIA also welcomes lucid, well-documented papers on all aspects of international affairs, from all political viewpoints.

Deadline for submission of papers for the next Winter 2009 issue is December 31, 2008. Manuscript guidelines can be found at http://cria-online.org/Submit_a_Paper.html

Best regards,
Nasimi Aghayev
Editor-in-Chief
Caucasian Review of International Affairs
www.cria-online.org
ISSN: 1865-6773

REVIEW: New Articles About the Caucasian Area.

CURRENT ISSUE

Vol. 2 (3) - Summer 2008

Table of Contents
Identities, Interests and the Resolution of the Abkhaz Conflict
by Ondrej Ditrych

Nabucco Pipeline and the Turkmenistan Conundrum
by Marco Giuli

Geopolitics of Central Asia in the Context of the Iranian Factor
by Guli Yuldasheva

Instability in the New Imperial Periphery: A Conceptual Perspective of the “Turbulent Frontiers” in the Caucasus and Central Asia
by Khatchik Der Ghoukassian

The Shadow of Past Rivalry: Limits of Post-1999 Dynamism in Greco-Turkish Relations
by Eda Kuşku

Turkish AK Party’s Central Asia and Caucasus Policies: Critiques and Suggestions
Comment by Ertan Efegil

“Soft annexation of Abkhazia is the greatest legacy of Putin to his successor”
Interview with Thomas de Waal, Institute of War & Peace Reporting in London


Identities, Interests and the Resolution of the Abkhaz Conflict
by Ondrej Ditrych
The recent crisis in Abkhazia reveals a fundamental qualitative change in the conflict in which the balance among three main actors is shifting, and increasingly the conflict plays a more important role in the triangular relations between Georgia, Russia and the West. The search for a new equilibrium in the conflict, one that would be an optimal outcome for the actors involved, will require rethinking the mutually constitutive roles (identities) and interests they want to assume with respect to the conflict and the entire South Caucasus. This is argued to be a matter of the ‘first order’ with respect to conflict resolution in Abkhazia, with confidence-building measures and political status questions representing only a ‘second order’… read more

Nabucco pipeline and the Turkmenistan conundrum
by Marco Giuli
This paper aims at exploring the prospects for Turkmen natural gas participation in the Nabucco pipeline project. Since the Azerbaijani and Iranian resources suffer technical and political setbacks, Turkmenistan’s inclusion among the supplying countries is turning out to be essential even if its prospects are probably unsustainable in the long term, when huge amounts of Iranian gas will be needed. However, Turkmenistan could be considered as a “bridging provider” justifying the realization of Nabucco in preparation for a reduction of the international tensions stemming from the Iranian nuclear program. Despite the improved political landscape in Turkmenistan, several obstacles still persist: among them, the commitment of the new leadership to supply Russia and China as well as the weak prospects for the Trans-Caspian pipeline… read more

Geopolitics of Central Asia in the Context of the Iranian Factor
by Guli Yuldasheva
This article examines geopolitical tendencies around Central Asia (CA) in the context of the Iranian factor in international relations. In all political processes in CA interests are underscored by energy security and the struggle of the competing powers for dominance and access to energy resources in the region. Iran’s role is shown as both a source of tension in the region and a transit route for CA hydrocarbons. Within this framework the negative impact of the US anti-Iranian strategy on the whole geopolitical situation in the region is revealed. It is argued that without resolving Iranian-American disputes and achieving the adequate balance of interests in the CA between the US and Russia there will not be geopolitical and, hence, economic stability in the region… read more

Instability in the New Imperial Periphery: A Conceptual Perspective of the “Turbulent Frontiers” in the Caucasus and Central Asia
by Khatchik Der Ghoukassian
Since the emergence of the United States as the world’s only superpower, the Caucasus and Central Asia, traditionally conceived as the Russian “Near Abroad,” have increasingly made their way up the U.S. foreign and security agenda. From debates on NATO expansion to pipeline diplomacy, basing policy, “train and equip” programs, as well as suspected support for ‘color revolutions’, and bilateral cooperation agreements, Washington has tried to mark a presence in these regions. These moves have generated concerns in Russia, where the U.S. expansion to the “Near Abroad” is perceived as a prelude for a new Cold War-style confrontation. Nonetheless, while this “big picture” of a renewed great powers competition holds some truth, it, however, should not hide the importance of local political dynamics, in particular territorial and ethno-nationalist conflicts, as well as clan politics and domestic unrest… read more

The Shadow of Past Rivalry: Limits of Post-1999 Dynamism in Greco-Turkish Relations
by Eda Kuşku
This essay will enquire whether Turkey and Greece could remove their enduring controversies through confidence building measures, mediation and inter-governmental dialogues which were introduced in the post-1999 détente period. The paper will specifically focus on the recent nature of understanding between the two countries and will endeavour to answer the question of whether there is a divergence in the nature of recent cooperative arrangements from those which were concluded in the former periods of détente and each of which were disrupted by succeeding periods of either armed conflict or cold war. The paper contends that the recent nature of Greek-Turkish relations is not problem-free… read more

Turkish AK Party’s Central Asia and Caucasus Policies: Critiques and Suggestions
Comment by Ertan Efegil
The AK Party’s approaches to Central Asia and Caucasus are similar to those of previous governments. For the AK Party, Central Asia, and especially Eurasian geopolitics, are strategically very important; therefore, they have desired to improve Turkey’s existing relations with the regional states and strongly supported inter-regional projects, such as the Baku-Tbilis-Erzurum natural gas pipeline, Baku-Tbilis-Kars railway and the Nabucco pipeline. For that reason, Turkish officials have paid various official visits to the regional states. With the assistance of these projects, the officials believe that regional integration attempts will be strengthened and welfare, stability and development will dominate regional affairs. But the Turkish policy makers have had to change their perspective about the region in favor of existing regional conditions, and they have formulated more realistic and rational policies, including a focus on more concrete projects… read more

“Soft annexation of Abkhazia is the greatest legacy of Putin to his successor”
Interview with Thomas de Waal, Institute of War & Peace Reporting in London
Question: What do you think is the next step in Abkhazia?De Waal: One of the main problems in Abkhazia is the high degree of unpredictability on both the Russian and the Georgian sides. I don’t believe that anyone wants a war over Abkhazia. However it’s a very small territory, and there are a lot of armed men there from both sides. The Russians have recently deployed paratroopers there, ostensibly as peacekeepers, although they obviously have a big offensive capability. And the Georgians have deployed armed men in the only part of Abkhazia under their control, the Upper Kodori Valley… read more

The CRIA is a Germany-registered quarterly peer-reviewed free, non-profit and online academic journal. The Review is committed to promote a better understanding of the regional affairs by providing relevant background information and analysis, as far as the Caucasus in general, and the South Caucasus in particular are concerned. The CRIA also welcomes lucid, well-documented papers on all aspects of international affairs, from all political viewpoints. The paper version of the Review is planned for the next future.

Deadline for submission of papers for the next Autumn 2008 issue is September 30, 2008. Submission guidelines can be found at http://www.cria-online.org/modules.php?name=Submit_a_Paper

Best regards, Nasimi Aghayev
Honorary Editor-in-Chief
Caucasian Review of International Affairs
www.cria-online.org
ISSN: 1865-6773

STUDIES: Call for papers for the Caucasian Review of International Affairs

The Caucasian Review of International Affairs (CRIA) is a Germany-based quarterly peer-reviewed free, non-profit and online academic journal. The Review is committed to promote a better understanding of the regional affairs by providing relevant background information and analysis, as far as the Caucasus in general, and the South Caucasus in particular are concerned. The CRIA also welcomes lucid, well-documented papers on all aspects of international affairs, from all political viewpoints.

The last issue (Winter 2008) of the Review can be viewed at
http://www.cria-online.org/current.php.

The next issue (Spring 2008) of the CRIA will be published in April 2008. Deadline for submission of papers for the next issue is the 31st of March 2008. See the manuscript guidelines at: http://www.cria-online.org/submit.php

Papers should be mailed to contact@cri-online.org

Best regards,

Nasimi Aghayev
Editor-in-Chief
Caucasian Review of International Affairs
ISSN: 1865-6773

STUDIES: Caucasian Review of International Affairs, Vol. 2 (1) - Winter 2008

Winter 2008 issue of the Caucasian Review of International Affairs (CRIA) is available online at http://www.cria-online.org

Contents:
-Note from the Editor-in-Chief (http://cria-online.org/j2_1.php)

-The Three Colors of War: Russian, Turkish, and Iranian Military
Threat to the South Caucasus by Lasha Tchantouridzé
(http://cria-online.org/j2_2.php)

-Nagorno-Karabakh: basis and reality of Soviet-era legal and economic claims used to justify the Armenia-Azerbaijan war by Adil Baguirov
(http://cria-online.org/j2_3.php)

-Russia, Iran, and the Conflict in Chechnya by Martin Malek
(http://cria-online.org/j2_4.php)

-Iran's Strategy in the South Caucasus by Kaweh Sadegh-Zadeh
(http://cria-online.org/j2_5.php)

-The Russian Defense Reform and its Limitations by Andrew Liaropoulos
(http://cria-online.org/j2_6.php)

-NATO cooperation towards South Caucasus by Alberto Priego
(http://cria-online.org/j2_7.php)

-Interview with Kevin T. Ryan, Harvard University
(http://cria-online.org/j2_8.php)

-Book Review by Pierre-Emmanuel Dupont
(http://cria-online.org/j2_9.php)

The CRIA is a Germany-based quarterly peer-reviewed free, non-profit and online academic journal. The Review is committed to promote a better understanding of the regional affairs by providing relevant background information and analysis, as far as the Caucasus in general, and the South Caucasus in particular are concerned. The CRIA also welcomes lucid, well-documented papers on all aspects of international affairs, from all political viewpoints.

The deadline for submission of papers for the next Spring issue is the 31st of March 2008. Manuscript guidelines can be found at http://cria-online.org/submit.php

Best regards, Nasimi Aghayev

STUDIES: Caucasian Review of International Affairs (CRIA)

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The CRIA is a primarily English-language quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal published by the Centre for European Studies in Azerbaijan. The CRIA focuses on various international political, economic, security and legal issues and the current developments in the South Caucasus region.
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VOLUME I - Winter 2006 (CRIA)

Coddling the Caucasus: Iran’s Strategic Relationship with Azerbaijan and Armenia By Geoffrey Gresh

Fearful of losing its economic regional and global dominance, Iran has sought to align itself diplomatically and economically with Armenia and Russia to counter Azerbaijan's new pro-western policies and rising economic power. This paper analyzes the international relations of the Southern Caucasus through a Neorealist paradigm to demonstrate how Iran's behavior and action in the area were a direct result of the anarchical system that ensued after the fall of the Soviet Union in the 1990s. The lack of a bipolar system in the Caucasus has pushed the region to the brink of another regional conflict that could potentially be more far-reaching and widespread than that of the previously contained Nagorno-Garabagh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Iran's foreign policy of the past decade demonstrates Iran's pragmatism in the Southern Caucasus that is not dictated by religious ideology, but rather by Iran's national interests, both economic and political, and national security concerns. The "New Great Game" of the post-Cold War era in the southern Caucasus will radically transform the region into one of great strategic and geopolitical importance.

Legal Aspects of the Nagorno-Garabagh Conflict By Mushfig Mammadov

The Nagorno-Garabagh conflict has been going on since 1988. The conflict between Armenia (although it denies its involvement in the conflict claiming that it is just "an interested party") and Azerbaijan is considered to be the most important conflict in the South Caucasus. Though the object of this conflict is Nagorno-Garabagh Autonomous Region (the region was called so as an administrative-territorial area during the Soviet time), seven other districts of Azerbaijan which have nothing common with this autonomous region are also occupied by the Armed Forces of Armenia. So, as a result of the conflict approximately 20% of the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan is still under occupation and more than one million Azerbaijanis have become refugees and internally displaced persons. In May 1994 the parties concluded cease-fire agreement which is still in force today. The Republic of Azerbaijan states that Armenia should be recognized as an aggressor according to the Charter of the UN, but it is not the case yet. The Republic of Armenia claims that the Armenians of Nagorno-Garabagh are entitled to secede from Azerbaijan and build their own state on the base of the self-determination principle of international law. Now the Minsk Group of the OSCE is exercizing a mediation function between the parties to the conflict. No political agreement on the settlement of the conflict has been achieved yet.

The Galtung Triangle and Nagorno-Garabagh Conflict By Taleh Ziyadov

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is one of the longest - standing conflicts in the former Soviet Union. Despite numerous attempts by mediating parties and direct talks between the governments of the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan, the conflict remains unresolved. In this paper, I will try to analyze the general causes of the conflict within the framework of Johan Galtung's conflict triangle. After giving a brief description of the Galtung conflict triangle and short asymmetry and symmetry analysis, I will examine the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict using the model's three axes - structural, cultural (social constructs) and behavioral (direct violence). The paper will investigate the nature and dynamics of the conflict in chronological order, starting from 1988 and ending with the signing of the cease-fire agreement in 1994. Hence, the purpose of this paper is limited to the three theoretical aspects of Johan Galtung's conflict triangle and does not include the conflict's detailed history and its post-ceasefire developments. This study aims to increase understanding of the cultural and structural causes of interethnic violence between Armenians and Azerbaijanis in 1988-1994.

Is Azerbaijan going to continue to get massive Inward Foreign Direct Investments? By Emil Majidov

Azerbaijan is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. The GDP annual surplus in 2003 was above 11%. The growth for the year 2004 is 10.2%. A record growth of circa 17% is expected in the year 2005. As per some forecasts (ADB 2005) growth in 2007 may be as much as 26%! It is highly probable that the country will be the global leader in economic growth in the coming next 2-3 years. GDP per capita is growing respectively although from a very low base. In 2004 it was USD 1042 per capita. Nominal wages grew by 26%. Almost all other major economic indicators point out a similar growth pattern.

Thieves of the Law and the Rule of Law in Georgia By Virginia Davis Nordin and Georgi Glonti

This article combines research on the Thieves of the Law in Georgia by a Georgian criminologist with the search for the real meeting of the Rule of Law in this former soviet country by an American lawyer. The first section of the paper cites some of the contradictory descriptions of the Thieves of the Law in the USSR and Georgia with a brief look at the functions of customary commercial law in emerging societies and concludes that the story of the Thieves of the Law is vital to understand the nature of Georgian society and the possibilities of establishing the Rule of Law in that Country. The next section illustrates the importance of and the continuing impact of the Thieves Law in national and international economic activities. A final conclusion stresses that defining law, crime and society is complex and that a knowledge of the particular stories of each is a necessary first step.

The Universities of Europe in the New Era By Dimitris Michalopoulos

The 1968 student crisis in France was the symptom of a rampant moral and intellectual disease; for the European universities were no longer adapted to meet the necessities of the societies that had invented them. In point of fact, the etymon of the term "university" is the mediaeval Latin word universitas, i.e. the erroneous translation of the Greek term encyclopaedia; and encyclopaedia means a general, advanced education capable of giving rise to the homo universalis. These homines universales were regarded as the natural leaders of traditional, hierarchically organized societies as were those before the French Enlightenment. Therefore, the very issue which the 1968 crisis raised was the one tackled as early as the 19th century mainly in France and Russia: Does a modern European society need universities or highly specialized schools? The time now seems ripe to opt for the second solution.