Russian policy in the South Caucasus
Description
The concept of separatism and its evolution into de facto statehood is a phenomenon that directly challenges Westphalian norms of state sovereignty. My thesis concerns itself with great power intervention in separatist conflicts, posing the question of how and why foreign powers intervene in protracted and often costly intrastate conflicts. The post-Soviet space is replete with protracted 'frozen conflicts.' Many of these conflicts emerged in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union and remain unresolved to this day. My research includes a comparative case study of Russian policy towards two conflicts in the South Caucasus region; this paper compares the territorial dispute in Nagorno-Karabakh involving Azerbaijan and Armenia with the separatist conflicts in the Georgian breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The results of this study suggest that while Moscow's policy decisions depend on its relationship to the states involved, Russia has an interest in keeping conflicts in its near abroad frozen to inhibit integration into western institutions and maintain Russian influence in the region. Thus, Russian foreign policy towards the South Caucasus suggests that great powers leverage internal conflicts abroad to further their own geostrategic aspirations and balance against great power rivals.