Three Dimensions of the South Caucasian Conflicts: Dynamics, Commonalities and Differences
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54561/prj1802269mKeywords:
South Caucasus, conflict dynamics, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Abkhazia, South OssetiaAbstract
The task of studying conflicts in various parts of the world is of high importance yet at the same time of relatively high complexity. An illustrative example of this is the tangle of tensions in the South Caucasus, which are sometimes approached with a tendency to simplify the picture and focus merely upon recent developments without grasping relatively long-lasting trends, or by contrary, to artificially sophisticate and find illusive roots in ‘deep history’ or add extra variables like bitter religious tensions to the equation (religious factor does matter, yet it translates in a very specific way, which the article demonstrates). Another problem is personal bias and a linear perception, which do not reflect the multifaceted and dynamic reality. Today the conflict configurations in the South Caucasus are not the same as they were in 1990s and the systems of international interactions has experienced substantial changes. Taking into account the state of the discipline and recent developments, this article aims to revise the existing academic perceptions on the South Caucasian conflict dynamics and to advance a new theoretical and methodological framework, contributing to the discussion. We suggest that the conflicts in the South Caucasus should be studied by focusing on the local, national and international levels, being the three dimensions with a varying extent of mutual influence in different periods, yet never replacing one another
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