Volume 6 Issue 3 2012 1 THE CAUCASUS & GLOBALIZATION INSTITUTE OF STRATEGIC STUDIES OF THE CAUCASUS THE CAUCASUS & GLOBALIZATION Journal of Social, Political and Economic Studies Conflicts in the Caucasus: History, Present, and Prospects for Resolution Special Issue Volume 6 Issue 3 2012 CA&CC Press® SWEDEN 2 Volume 6 Issue 3 2012 FOUNDEDTHE CAUCASUS AND& GLOBALIZATION PUBLISHED BY INSTITUTE OF STRATEGIC STUDIES OF THE CAUCASUS Registration number: M-770 Ministry of Justice of Azerbaijan Republic PUBLISHING HOUSE CA&CC Press® Sweden Registration number: 556699-5964 Registration number of the journal: 1218 Editorial Council Eldar Chairman of the Editorial Council (Baku) ISMAILOV Tel/fax: (994 12) 497 12 22 E-mail: [email protected] Kenan Executive Secretary (Baku) ALLAHVERDIEV Tel: (994 – 12) 596 11 73 E-mail: [email protected] Azer represents the journal in Russia (Moscow) SAFAROV Tel: (7 495) 937 77 27 E-mail: [email protected] Nodar represents the journal in Georgia (Tbilisi) KHADURI Tel: (995 32) 99 59 67 E-mail: [email protected] Ayca represents the journal in Turkey (Ankara) ERGUN Tel: (+90 312) 210 59 96 E-mail: [email protected] Editorial Board Nazim Editor-in-Chief (Azerbaijan) MUZAFFARLI Tel: (994 – 12) 510 32 52 E-mail: [email protected] (IMANOV) Vladimer Deputy Editor-in-Chief (Georgia) PAPAVA Tel: (995 – 32) 24 35 55 E-mail: [email protected] Akif Deputy Editor-in-Chief (Azerbaijan) ABDULLAEV Tel: (994 – 12) 596 11 73 E-mail: [email protected] Volume 6 IssueMembers 3 2012 of Editorial Board: 3 THE CAUCASUS & GLOBALIZATION Zaza D.Sc. (History), Professor, Corresponding member of the Georgian National Academy ALEKSIDZE of Sciences, head of the scientific department of the Korneli Kekelidze Institute of Manuscripts (Georgia) Mustafa AYDIN Rector of Kadir Has University (Turkey) Irina BABICH D.Sc. (History), Leading research associate of the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology, Russian Academy of Sciences (Russia) Douglas Professor, Chair of Political Science Department, Providence College (U.S.A.) W. BLUM Svante Professor, Research Director, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, Silk Road Studies E. CORNELL Program, Johns Hopkins University-SAIS (U.S.A.) Parvin D.Sc. (History), Professor, Baku State University (Azerbaijan) DARABADI Murad D.Sc. (Political Science), Editor-in-Chief, Central Asia and the Caucasus, Journal of ESENOV Social and Political Studies (Sweden) Jannatkhan Deputy Director, Institute of Strategic Studies of the Caucasus (Azerbaijan) EYVAZOV Rauf Ph.D. (Psychology), Leading research associate of the Center for Strategic Studies GARAGOZOV under the President of the Azerbaijan Republic (Azerbaijan) Archil Ph.D. (Geography), Senior fellow at the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and GEGESHIDZE International Studies (Georgia) Elmir Director of the Department of Geoculture, Institute of Strategic Studies of the GULIEV Caucasus (Azerbaijan) Shamsaddin D.Sc.(Economy), Professor, Rector of the Azerbaijan State Economic University HAJIEV (Azerbaijan) Jamil HASANLI D.Sc. (History), Professor at Khazar University (Azerbaijan) Stephen Professor, Russian and Eurasian Studies, Mount Holyoke College (U.S.A.) F. JONES Akira Ph.D., History of Central Asia & the Caucasus, Program Officer, The Sasakawa MATSUNAGA Peace Foundation (Japan) Roger Senior Research Fellow, Department of Politics and International Relations, University MCDERMOTT of Kent at Canterbury; Senior Research Fellow on Eurasian military affairs within the framework of the Eurasia Program of the Jamestown Foundation, Washington (U.K.) Roin D.Sc. (History), Professor, Academician of the Georgian National Academy of METREVELI Sciences, President of the National Committee of Georgian Historians (Georgia) Fuad Ph.D. (Economy), Counselor of the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the MURSHUDLI International Bank of Azerbaijan (Azerbaijan) Michael Associate professor, Near Eastern Studies Department, Princeton University (U.S.A.) A. REYNOLDS Alexander Professor, President of Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies RONDELI (Georgia) Mehdi SANAIE Professor, Tehran University, Director, Center for Russian Studies (Iran) Avtandil D.Sc. (Economy), Professor, Tbilisi University of International Relations, Corresponding SILAGADZE member of the Georgian National Academy of Sciences (Georgia) S. Frederick Professor, Chairman, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, Johns Hopkins University-SAIS STARR (U.S.A.) James Professor, Director of the International and Regional Studies Program, Washington V. WERTSCH University in St. Louis (U.S.A.) Alla D.Sc. (History), Professor, head of the Mediterranean-Black Sea Center, Institute of YAZKOVA Europe, Russian Academy of Sciences (Russia) Stanislav D.Sc. (Economy), Senior Researcher, Institute of World Economy and International ZHUKOV Relations, Russian Academy of Sciences (Russia) The materials that appear in the journal do not necessarily reflect the Editorial Board and the Editors’ opinion Editorial Office: THE CAUCASUS & GLOBALIZATION © The Caucasus & Globalization, 2012 98 Alovsat Guliyev, AZ1009 © CA&CC Press®, 2012 Baku, Azerbaijan © Institute of Strategic Studies of WEB: www.ca-c.org the Caucasus, 2012 4 Volume 6 Issue 3 2012 THE CAUCASUS & GLOBALIZATION THE CAUCASUS & GLOBALIZATION Journal of Social, Political and Economic Studies Volume 6 Issue 3 2012 Conflicts in the Caucasus: History, Present, and Prospects for Resolution Special Issue CONTENTS GEOPOLITICS RUSSIA AND THE CONFLICTS Martin IN THE CENTRAL CAUCASUS HOREMU 7 GEORGIA’S FLIRTATION WITH IRAN AND Dmitry ITS GEOPOLITICAL IMPLICATIONS SHLAPENTOKH 15 KAZAKHSTAN AS A PLATFORM FOR HOLDING TALKS ON SETTLEMENT OF THE ARMENIA-AZERBAIJAN Andrei NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT GALIEV 28 COMPARATIVE INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW: THE ATROCITIES IN SYRIA AND Kamal THE NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT MAKILI-ALIYEV 35 ARMENIA-AZERBAIJAN CONFLICT AND Khazar EURO-ATLANTIC SECURITY IBRAHIM 42 Volume 6 Issue 3 2012 5 THE CAUCASUS & GLOBALIZATION INSTABILITY IN THE NORTHERN CAUCASUS: Marat REASONS, FACTORS, AND IMPLICATIONS ILIYASOV 48 THE CONFLICT IN THE PRIGORODNY DISTRICT AND THE CITY OF VLADIKAVKAZ: THE CRUX OF THE MATTER, THE STATE’S ROLE, Israpil AND WAYS TO RESOLVE IT SAMPIEV 58 THE FIRST RUSSO-CHECHEN CAMPAIGN (1994-1996): CAUSES AND FACTORS OF Sofia ETHNIC MOBILIZATION MELIKOVA 72 GEO-ECONOMICS REGIONAL ENERGY PROJECTS Zurab FOR GEORGIAN-RUSSIAN RELATIONS GARAKANIDZE 80 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY OF THE CONFLICT POTENTIAL OF CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS Abdurakhman (A NORTH CAUCASIAN CASE STUDY) HUSEYNOV 88 GEOCULTURE ISLAM AND THE CONFLICT Ahmet IN THE NORTHERN CAUCASUS YARLYKAPOV 97 EAST-WEST: AN INTERCULTURAL DIALOG. FROM MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING Rasim TO INTEGRATION ABDULLA 108 PROLIFERATION OF RELIGIOUS-POLITICAL EXTREMISM IN DAGHESTAN: Davud INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL ASPECTS KAKHRIMANOV 116 GEOHISTORY THE PAST AND FUTURE OF CONFLICTS, IDENTITY, AND INTEGRATION Irada IN THE CENTRAL CAUCASUS BAGIROVA 127 6 Volume 6 Issue 3 2012 THE CAUCASUS & GLOBALIZATION THE CONFLICT-PRONE POTENTIAL OF THE DISINTEGRATION AND RESTORATION OF EMPIRES: POLITICAL AND GEOGRAPHIC APPROACH (A CASE STUDY OF Revaz THE RUSSIAN TRANSCAUCASIA, 1917-1923) GACHECHILADZE 134 GEOPOLITICAL FACTOR AND THE SETTLEMENT POLICY OF CZARIST RUSSIA IN THE CAUCASUS IN THE EARLY 19TH CENTURY Ikram (A GERMAN COLONIZATION CASE STUDY) AGASIEV 146 Volume 6 Issue 3 2012 7 THE CAUCASUS & GLOBALIZATION GEOPOLITICS Martin HOREMU Ph.D. (International Relations), Department of Political Science, Catholic University in Ruomberok (Bratislava, Slovakia). RUSSIA AND THE CONFLICTS IN THE CENTRAL CAUCASUS Abstract he aim of this article is to take a clos- resolution of these conflicts. Since 1991, T er look at Russia’s role in the frozen Russia, within the framework of its own lim- conflicts in the Central Caucasus: Ab- its and available means, has been protect- khazia, South Ossetia, and Nagorno-Kara- ing its interests in accordance with its for- bakh. eign policy concept, the so-called Near The collapse of the U.S.S.R. meant Abroad. According to this concept, Russia the reopening of several conflicts that had demands a dominant position in the post- been artificially conserved. In the new gov- Soviet space. Therefore, Moscow has also ernment-conditioned and geopolitical con- been striving to assume the position of figuration, the Caucasus collided with sev- manager in each conflict and guiding it to eral of the parties involved, as well as with its own benefit. This can be described as the superpowers, which complicated the maintaining the status quo. Introduction The disintegration of the Soviet Union led, within the large geopolitical space of this former totalitarian state, to the launching of democratic processes and transformations that affected the cru- cial areas in a significant way and later conditioned further regional, political, economic, security, 8 Volume 6 Issue 3 2012 THE CAUCASUS & GLOBALIZATION cultural, ethnic, religious, and social development. With the formation of 15 newly independent coun- tries, which were part of one state until 1991, new quantitative and qualitative preconditions and per- spectives began taking shape in order to determine the relations among them. Along with this process came key changes in the local, regional, and global security environment, where new challenges, threats, and risks in the form of regional military conflicts, ethnic and religious separatism, organized crime, political extremism, and international terrorism started to occur more