South Caucasus - 20 years of independence
| Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung | 2011
Twenty years ago Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan achieved independence from the Soviet Union. Since then the South Caucasus has been in a constant state of turmoil. Since 1990 the region has experienced six wars or armed confl icts. Three separatist regions – Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Nagorno-Karabakh – are the subject of unresolved territorial confl icts. At no time in the past 20 years has it been possible in any of the three countries to organize a change in the head of state by means of free and fair elections. To this day, separatism, a wealth of natural resources, political instability and democratic defi cits make the South Caucasus one of the most explosive regions in the direct neighbourhood of the European Union (EU).
In light of the complexity of the problems in the South Caucasus it is the task of political observers to explore the region's long-term trends and hidden development patterns. That is the aim of this collection of essays.
Language | English
South Caucasus - 20 years of independence