Since the late 1980s, the Caucasus and Caspian littoral states have passed through a period of extreme turmoil. In … prospects for democratic consolidation; comparative economic performance and prospects for recovery; the impact of Russia … Caucasus and the relationship between tradition and "modernity"; coping strategies for surviving the turmoil of the past ten …

; the United States and Russia have vied to influence the placement of pipeline routes; and attention to the region …'s resources has increased pressure on disputes between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, Russia and Georgia over … Abkhazia, and Russia and Chechnya. And all of these developments are unfolding against a backdrop of deepening ecological …

three Transcaucasian states -- Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia -- and in the North Caucasus region of the Russian … Federation. The Caucasus is extraordinarily diverse, with a rich and complicated history; along with significant linguistic … West, including the United States, especially due to the risk that conflict could draw in regional powers -- such as Russia …

Russia's defeat in the Crimean War cast new doubt upon the fundamental political traditions, social structures … on a shift in mentality. This essay examines the new notions of heroism that circulated among Russia's emerging public …