The Caucasus: An Introduction

Contextualizes recent Russia/Georgia clash through an accessible history of the region in modern times. Thomas De Waal is a noted expert on the region, having written two acclaimed books on it: "Black Garden" and "Chechnya." In this well-researched book, he makes the case that while the Caucasus is often treated as a sub-plot in the history of Russia, or as a mere gateway to Asia, the five-day war in Georgia, which flared into a major international crisis in 2008, proves this is a combustible region, whose inner dynamics and history deserve a much more complex appreciation. In The Caucasus, de Waal reveals that South Caucasus : Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, and their many smaller regions, enclaves, and breakaway entities, is a fascinating distinct world. Providing historical background and insightful analysis of the period after 1991, de Waal shows how the region has been scarred by tumultuous scramble for independence and the three major conflicts that broke out with the end of the Soviet Union : Nagorno-Karabakh, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia. The book examines the region as a major energy producer and exporter; offers an account of Rose Revolution in Georgia, the rise of Mixeil Saakašvili and August 2008 war; and considers failure of the South Caucasus to become a single viable region. His book features side topics as Kurds, Turkish-Armenian rapprochement, the promotion of the region as the "Soviet Florida," and the most famous Georgian, Stalin. The Caucasus delivers a vibrantly written and timely account of this turbulent region--Publisher's description.