(Ebook) War and Revolution in the Caucasus: Georgia Ablaze by Stephen F. Jones (editor) ISBN 9780415565271, 0415565278

(Ebook) War and Revolution in the Caucasus: Georgia Ablaze by Stephen F. Jones (editor) ISBN 9780415565271, 0415565278

The South Caucasus has traditionally been a playground of contesting
empires. This region, on the edge of Europe, is associated in Western
minds with ethnic conflict and geopolitical struggles in August 2008.
Yet, another war broke out in this distant European periphery as Russia
and Georgia clashed over the secessionist territory of South Ossetia.
The war had global ramifications culminating in deepening tensions
between Russia on the one hand, and Europe and the USA on the other.
Speculation on the causes and consequences of the war focused on Great
Power rivalries and a new Great Game, on oil pipeline routes, and
Russian imperial aspirations.
This book takes a different tack
which focuses on the domestic roots of the August 2008 war. Collectively
the authors in this volume present a new multidimensional context for
the war. They analyse historical relations between national minorities
in the region, look at the link between democratic development,
state-building, and war, and explore the role of leadership and public
opinion. Digging beneath often simplistic geopolitical explanations, the
authors give the national minorities and Georgians themselves, the
voice that is often forgotten by Western analysts.
This book was based on a special issue of  Central Asian Survey.