Security Identity And The Southern Caucasus

Security Identity and the Southern Caucasus

Reassessing Security in the South Caucasus

Lying on the periphery of Europe, Russia, Turkey and Iran, and also being of interest to the United States, the South Caucasus is receiving growing attention among decision-makers and scholars of international relations. From a European perspective, the region is now forming a neighbouring area at the border of the Black Sea, as well as a corridor of oil and gas imports whose stability has become part of European security itself. As such, this volume reassesses security in the South Caucasus. It makes it possible to update analysis on security interests, perceptions and policies at national, regional and international levels through cross-national studies. Aimed at highlighting long-term defence and security trends in the region, contributors re-examine their relevance and enduring impact. They also identify changing dynamics under recent geopolitical and political developments in and around the region such as: the enlargements of NATO, the August 2008 Russia-Georgia war, the creation of the EU Eastern Partnership or Presidential elections. One of this volume's distinct contributions is that chapters have been written by experts from inside and around the region, i.e. Armenia, Georgia, Russia and Turkey, with other important contributions provided by authors from France and Canada having extensive experience in the area. Students and scholars of post-Soviet states, Eurasian geopolitics and European Security will find this volume enlightening.

Non-traditional Security Threats and Regional Cooperation in the Southern Caucasus

This book contains 16 papers, presented at the workshop: Non-Traditional Security Threats and Regional Cooperation in the Southern Caucasus, which was held in Istanbul, Turkey in October 2009. Whilst the Cold War did not exclude the existence of other threats, such as environmental hazards, organized crime, terrorism, economic instability and illegal immigration, it is only since the emphasis on East-West rivalry and the specter of nuclear confrontation between the two blocs have diminished that these have become articulated as major sources of concern for global security.