Conflicts in the Caucasus. Ethnic Conflicts of Small Nations or Political Battles of Great Powers? Senior Project Thesis Luka Liparteliani Submitted in Partial fulfillment Of the Requirements for the degree of Degree Earned In International Economy and Relations State University of New York Empire State College 2021 Reader: Dr. Max Hilaire Statutory Declaration / Čestné prohlášení I, Luka Liparteliani, declare that the paper entitled: Conflicts In The Caucasus. Ethnic Conflicts Of Small Nations Or Political Battles of Great Powers? was written by myself independently, using the sources and information listed in the list of references. I am aware that my work will be published in accordance with § 47b of Act No. 111/1998 Coll., On Higher Education Institutions, as amended, and in accordance with the valid publication guidelines for university graduate theses. Prohlašuji, že jsem tuto práci vypracoval/a samostatně s použitím uvedené literatury a zdrojů informací. Jsem vědom/a, že moje práce bude zveřejněna v souladu s § 47b zákona č. 111/1998 Sb., o vysokých školách ve znění pozdějších předpisů, a v souladu s platnou Směrnicí o zveřejňování vysokoškolských závěrečných prací. In Prague, 24.04.2021 Luka Liparteliani 1 Acknowledgements As any written work in the world would not have been done without suggestions and advice of others, this paper has been inspired and influenced by people that I am grateful for. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to professor Dr. Max Hilarie for he has guided me through the journey of working on this thesis. I would also like to thank professor Oscar Hidalgo for his inspirational courses and for giving me the knowledge in the political science field, without which this paper could not have been done. Table Of Contents Chapter 1. The Caucasus In Conflict.---------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 Chapter 2. The Historical Roots And Legacy.------------------------------------------------------------ 9 Chapter 3. Disputes Over Nagorno-Karabakh.---------------------------------------------------------- 17 Chapter 4. Georgian Struggle For Unity And Breakout Regions.------------------------------------ 26 Chapter 5. Geopolitics Of The Black Sea Region.----------------------------------------------------- 34 Turkey.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 34 Russian Federation.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 37 The United States Of America.------------------------------------------------------------------- 40 Conclusion.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 43 Bibliography. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 45 2 Abstract The paper delivers a profound overview of the conflicts in the Caucasian. The region that has been in conflict since the late 1980s has yet not achieved a settlement. The three states of the Southern Caucasus: Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan have established independent states after the collapse of the USSR, some nations are struggling to gain sovereignty and some have joined the Russian federation as autonomous regions. The conflicts we come across in the Caucasus are various by nature. Some of the conflicts have been settled but some remain frozen. After the wave of conflicts in the 1990s, results have been devastating for people and economies, but the tensions have been lower. The developments of the conflicts have been slower since then, the 2008 Russo-Georgian war and the recent events in Azerbaijan are exceptions. The Caucasus has seen civil wars, intra-state conflicts as well as conflicts with the external powers. These conflicts have been known as ethnic conflicts between the Caucasian ethnicities. Although the external involvement creates a different opinion. Considering the geopolitical location of the region, the conflicts could be granted a geopolitical categorization. Russia has been an inseparable part of what is happening in the Caucasus from day one and enjoys the largest influential power over the region. Turkey and Iran have historically been trying to acquire strong positions and in recent decades it has been a proper time to do so. The US and the EU offer peaceful settlements in the region and also try to build economical and political bridges with the Southern Caucasian states. China has shown its interest in the region lately as well, due to the communicational benefits it can deliver between Asia and Europe. 3 Chapter 1: The Caucasus in conflict A small region between the Caucasian mountain and two seas, that has been struggling for peace, is yet stuck in the middle of frozen and ongoing territorial and ethnic conflicts. Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Dagestan, Chechnya, Abkhazia, Ossetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, and Karachai-Cherkessia battling over their identities and positions in the region. Such a small piece of land that has been in conflict for decades and still remains unstable. The historical legacy, cultural and religious differences, and External forces play a huge role in the Caucasian tensions. The Caucasus is a region that has directly suffered from the new political disorder. Considering its territorial size, the Caucasus has seen one of the biggest numbers of armed conflicts after the cold war. The conflicts in Nagorno-Karabakh, South Ossetia, Abkhazia, the Prigorodniy Rayon of North Ossetia, and Chechnya make up five of the total eight armed conflicts in the former Soviet republics and it has suffered the most (Cornell, 2000). Hundreds of thousands of deaths and millions of refugees have been a cause of these conflicts and the numbers are getting higher even today (Jafarova, 2011). The armed conflicts and their consequences have left a significant mark on the region’s economy, which was already struggling to transition from centralized to open market. It is worth discussing that the conflicts, except the one between Chechnya and Ingushetia, have very similar patterns and the roots for the conflict. They are all based on ethnic identity and the fight for self-determination. They have all revolted against the central governments after the collapse of the Soviet Union. It is also important to mention that all these revolting parties have been granted autonomy during the Soviet era, and despite the fact that there are many more ethnic minorities in the region, the ones that did not have autonomy are not supported by the 4 external actors as much. Another similarity that has to be pointed out is the external support of all these breakaway minorities. It almost seems like the conflicts that broke out after the collapse Soviet Union have been encouraged and used for political interests, Thus they are more geopolitical than ethno-religious. The geographical location of the Caucasus region has made it a land of borders. The Caucasus has been a land where empires ended as well as a land of civilizational and religious exchange. It has functioned both as a crossroad and a fence between East and West, North and South. The region has been a battlefield of Tsarist, Safavid, and Ottoman empires and later to their successors. The situation sometimes benefited but mostly damaged the people of the Caucasus. External powers have cooperated with local kingdoms and leadership against their competitors. Using domestic powers, foreigners have invaded the Caucasian territories, emigrated, and terminated the populations (King, 2008). The new world has brought a new opportunity for the Caucasus to turn themselves from being barriers to being a bridge between Europe and Asia. Especially, through producing and exporting Caspian Sea oil and gas, making the region an essential communication route for the two continents. Nevertheless, the armed tensions have not been settling and the political and economic development of the region has not been speedy for relevant reasons. One of the reasons being the devastating consequences of five armed conflicts that have broken out since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The internal and external wars have created a tremendously harsh environment for the states to survive and rise as independent. Since then, the heritage of the conflicts has been holding the countries back from developing in a free environment. Even though the facts remain that all the conflicts are frozen, there has not been a 5 final settlement on any of the conflicts. Considering the recent happenings, the option of mutual settlement is getting farther from reality. Another factor is the positions of major foreign powers that in general are vouching for war and instability in the region. The external actors that are interested in the Caucasus are securing their political interests at the expense of local populations and the governments. The following chapters will describe further the methods and doing of Russia, Turkey and the U.S. Finally, the geopolitical importance of the Caucasus attracts attention from the outside. Oil politics of the external powers requires them to gain influence over the region. While these powers actively try to align with either of the states, the separatist minorities are looking for a helping hand from outside for future security. The fight over influence weakens the Caucasian states and prevents them from dominating others. The states cannot achieve a shared foreign policy. This situation prevents the states from settling the conflicts between themselves because they are seeking