1st Edition

Crisis in the Caucasus: Russia, Georgia and the West

Edited By Paul B. Rich Copyright 2010
    272 Pages
    by Routledge

    272 Pages
    by Routledge

    This collection of essays by a series of academic specialists examines the crisis stemming from the Russian invasion of Georgia in August 2008 from a range of standpoints. The chapters probe the geopolitical and strategic dimensions of the crisis as well as the longer term military and diplomatic implications for Europe and the central Asian region. The collection will be of major importance to students of Russia and Eastern Europe, military analysts as well as journalists and politicians concerned with what some observers have termed a "new cold war" between Russia and the West.

    This book was published as a special issue of Small Wars and Insurgencies.

    1. Introduction: The Global Significance of a Small War  Paul B. Rich  2. The Russian state and great power politics  Paul B. Rich  3. The Putin state and the debate on the use of force in international relations  Yuri Zhukov  4. Georgia as an issue in Russian foreign policy  Peter Shearman  5. The Russian use of cybernetic warfare  David Betz  6. The Media and the Georgian conflict  Margarita Akhvlediani  7. Oil Pipe Lines and the Georgian Crisis  Tracey German 8. Caucasus and Balkans in the midst of imperial discourses, national narratives and literary texts  Zaza Shatirishvili  9. The Georgia Crisis and Western strategic options  Stephen Blank  10. Russia’s war in Georgia: Lessons and consequences  Fredrik Westerlund and Carolina Vendill Pallinn  11. The Bear Came Through the Tunnel: An Analysis of Georgian Planning and Operations in the Russo-Georgian War and Implications for U.S. Policy  Robert Hamilton

    Biography

    Paul B. Rich is a freelance writer and researcher who has written extensively on International Affairs. His books include State Power and Black Politics in South Africa, The Counter Insurgent State and Warlords in International Relations. He is currently engaged in a wider study of Russia in the global system as well as an essay on western intellectual history entitled Three cultural constructs for our time: heroes, martyrs and celebrities.

    "[T]he book provides a very useful, comprehensive and unique combination of topics that will retain its validity for use by individuals or states seeking to engage in this crucial region in the future." - Kelly Pegus, Macquarie University, Australia