Religion Nation And Democracy In The South Caucasus

This book explores developments in the three major societies of the South Caucasus – Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia – focusing especially on religion, historical traditions, national consciousness, and political culture, and on how these factors interact. It outlines how, despite close geographical interlacement, common historical memories and inherited structures, the three countries have deep differences; and it discusses how development in all three nations has differed significantly from the countries’ declared commitments to democratic orientation and European norms and values. The book also considers how external factors and international relations continue to impact on the three countries.

In the Caucasus region, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and their powerful neighbours Russia, Turkey, Iran and the EU negotiate their future policies and spheres of influence. This volume explores the role of religion in the South Caucasus to describe and explain how transnational religious relationships intermingle with transnational political relationships. The concept of ‘soft power’ is the heuristic starting point of this important investigation to define the importance of religion in the region. Drawing on a three-year project supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation, the book brings together academics from the South Caucasus and across Europe to offer original empirical research and contributions from experienced researchers in political science, history and oriental studies. This book will be of interest to scholars in the fields of post-Soviet studies, international relations, religious studies and political science.

This book explores developments in the three major societies of the South Caucasus – Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia – focusing especially on religion, historical traditions, national consciousness, and political culture, and on how these factors interact. It outlines how, despite close geographical interlacement, common historical memories and inherited structures, the three countries have deep differences; and it discusses how development in all three nations has differed significantly from the countries’ declared commitments to democratic orientation and European norms and values. The book also considers how external factors and international relations continue to impact on the three countries.

Om staterne Armenien, Azerbaidzjan og Georgien i det sydlige Kaukasus.

In "South Caucasus 2021" a team of international experts address the most vital issues of the region. They offer their perspectives on topics such as territorial conflicts, oil and natural gas resources, and pipeline politics, and provide important analysis of the geopolitical complexities of the region and the risks they pose in the coming decades. The authors also look at the volatile political state of the Caucasus-Caspian Basin, the role of religion, and demographic and migration prospects, and discuss the policy courses charted by the superpowers in response to developments within the region. Featuring chapters by Dmitri Trenin, Udo Steinbach, Ariel Cohen, Mustafa Aydin, Robert M. Cutler and others, as well as an introduction by Dr. S. Frederick Starr, "South Caucasus 2021" seeks to address not just where the region has been, but also where it is headed in terms of its security, intra- and extra-regional relations, as well as political and economic development. The book is essential reading for students and researchers of post-Soviet history and Caucasus studies, sociology, Caspian Sea politics, political science and international relations, and areas of energy and economic issues.

The Right to Self-Determination in the South Caucasus: Nagorno Karabakh in Context, by Bahruz Balayev, explores the relationship in international law between the concept of self-determination and territorial integrity in the context of the Caucasus region. This study brings together the various self-determination movements of the Caucasus (Nagorno Karabakh, South Ossetia, Adjara, Abkhazia, and Chechnya) and provides a comparative analysis. The August 2008 war in Georgia and the proclamation of independence of Kosovo renewed the discussion over the right to self-determination in international law: Has the right to self-determination evolved since the solutions to the conflicts over self-determination are now determined in a new manner, or should it? Will the question of self-determination in different regions of the world be a spark for a new cold war? Unilateral declarations and the recognition of independence of South Ossetia, Abkhazia, and Kosovo could be the first spark. These are the pressing questions because there are many self-determination and secession movements all over the world. The Right to Self-Determination in the South Caucasus is a unique tool for scholars, researchers, and the public in understanding South Caucasus regional conflicts from the New Haven School perspective.

Brings together investigations of both the north and south Caucasus to explain aspects of the history, linguistic complexity, current politics, and self-representations of the peoples who live between Russia and the Middle East.

Examines the three republics of the Transcaucasus - Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.