EurasianStudies_0110..

January-March 2010 JOURNAL OF EURASIAN STUDIES Volume II., Issue 1.
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2008, which was later strongly criticised by NATO and EU, would likely further intensify power rivalries
in this strategic region.
Conclusion
The crisis in Trans-Caucasus needs to be seen from a broader East-West (Russia-West) confrontation
in the former Soviet sphere. While Russia is accustomed to think the former Soviet space or ‘near abroad’
as its natural sphere of influence, the West has adopted a pro-active policy to woo the countries of the
region into its fold in an attempt to diminish Russian influence and to have control over the energy
resources in the region. Particularly, the countries like Georgia and Ukraine have recently become sore
points between Russia and the West. Some other issues such as Kosovo, energy politics, and NATO’s
eastward expansion have added to the tensions. In this background, it appears improbable that the
South Ossetian crisis will be resolved soon. It is difficult for Georgia to confront the military might and
petro-power of Russia. Probably that is understandably one reason for its closeness with the West. The
Georgian case can be read as a test case between Russia and the West how to deal a conflict situation and
to avoid the nemesis of the cold war.
References
Areshev, Andrei, 2007 “Unless the Whole of the Caucasus Catches Fire…,” Strategic Culture
Foundation online magazine, 27 September. http://en.fondsk.ru/article.php?id=980.
Dawisha, Adeed, 1995 “Introduction,” in Adeed Dawisha and Karen Dawisha, ed., The
Making of Foreign Policy in Russia and the New States of Eurasia, New York: M. E. Sharpe.
Fuller, Liz, 2007 “Georgian Preterm Presidential Election: A Concession or Calculated Risk?,”
RFE/RL Caucasus Report, 10(27), 15 November.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty News line, 2007, 11(176), 21 September.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty News line, 2007, 11(207), 7 November.
Socor, Vladimir, 2007 “Caspian Summit Envisions Creation of Regional Institutions,” Eurasian
Daily Monitor, 4(194), 19 October.
Souders, Brian V. and Roger E. Kanet, 1994 “An Emerging Inter-State System: Russia and the
Other Former Republics of the USSR,” in P. L. Dash, ed., Russian Dilemma: The Ethnic
Aftermath, Cuttack: Aryan Prakashan.
Valdez, Jonathan, 1995 “The Near Abroad, the West, and National Identity in Russian Foreign
Policy,” in Adeed Dawisha and Karen Dawisha, ed., The Making of Foreign Policy in Russia and
the New States of Eurasia, New York: M. E. Sharpe.
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