Summary and Comments on Yoko Hirose's "Caucasus: Crossroads of International Relations" - Recommended reference book for understanding the political situation in the modern Caucasus and Russia.
Introduced here is "Caucasus: Crossroads of International Relations" by Yoko Hirose, published by Shueisha in 2008.
Let's take a quick look at the book.
A must-read for understanding Russia's diplomatic and military strategy!
Fourteen years before the invasion of Ukraine, Russia invaded Georgia (now Georgia) in the Caucasus region.What is happening now in the region that Japanese people know the least about?
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The Caucasus is the junction of Europe and Asia, has been at the crossroads of religions and civilizations since ancient times, and has been subject to invasion by major powers over concessions and pipeline construction due to its geopolitical position and the presence of natural resources such as oil and natural gas in the Caspian Sea.
The dissolution of the Soviet Union and the events of 9/11 have also increased the importance of the region.
However, the reality is that in Japan, with the exception of the Chechen conflict, there is little awareness of the region. This book provides an overview of this region that is now attracting attention, focusing mainly on international issues.
Winner of the 21st Asia Pacific Prize Special Award!
This work is recommended to get an idea of the situation in the Caucasus as of 2008 when it was published.
The author first introduces the Caucasus, which is not very familiar to Japanese, as follows
Where is the Caucasus?
The "Caucasus" is a region generally unfamiliar to the Japanese public.
The Caucasus region refers to the area of the former Soviet Union surrounding the Caucasus Mountains, which borders the Caspian Sea to the east, the Black Sea and Turkey to the west, and Iran to the south. The Caucasus region is divided into north and south by the Caucasus Mountains, and the South Caucasus includes the Republic of Azerbaijan (capital: Baku), the Republic of Georgia (capital: Tbilisi), and the Republic of Armenia (capital: Yerevan), which became independent after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 and are also called the "Three Caucasus States. They are also known as the "Three Caucasus States.
On the other hand, the North Caucasus includes the southern republics of the Russian Federation, such as the Chechen Republic (capital: Grozny), the Republic of Ingushetia (capital: Magas), the Republic of Dagestan (capital: Makhachkala), and the Republic of North Ossetia and Athenia (capital: Vladikavkas).
Shueisha, Hirose Yoko, Caucasus: Crossroads of International Relations, p. 10.
Caucasus as an important base
The Caucasus region has a history of being invaded by many empires of time because it is considered a region of high strategic significance both culturally and geographically.
In recent years, there have also been a number of conflicting interests in the development of oil and natural gas produced from the Caspian Sea and the construction of pipelines to export these resources to the world market. In addition, the importance of the Caspian Sea in current international politics is increasing, especially in the wake of the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States in 2001.
The policies of each country toward the Caucasus, including not only the United States, Russia, and European countries, but also Turkey and Iran, vary widely (which is quite natural given the intersecting interests of each country), and each country's military policy, resource policy, and foreign policy show different responses to the situation.
It is difficult to give a clear explanation of the current situation in this complex region, much less the problems it faces. In this book, we will attempt to address this difficult issue by reviewing the characteristics of the Caucasus region and focusing mainly on international relations.
Shueisha, Hirose Yoko, Caucasus: Crossroads of International Relations, p. 15.
As the title of this book states, "Crossroads of International Relations," this region has been the site of much traffic in people and goods since before the establishment of the Soviet Union. Therefore, it has a very complex history and culture. The confusion caused by the collapse of the Soviet Union has made it difficult just to understand the political situation in the region.
This book provides an easy-to-understand explanation of such contemporary Caucasian conditions.
Many books have been written on Chechnya in the North Caucasus, but it is quite rare to find a book that explains the three countries of Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan in an easy-to-understand manner.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has also increased interest in this region. As in Ukraine, there is no telling when the region may become dangerous.
This book was published in 2008, so it is not up-to-date as of 2022. However, it is still a valuable work for understanding the Kafkaes at a stage more than 15 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
This is a recommended book to learn about the difficult Caucasus situation in an easy-to-understand way.
The above is "Yoko Hirose, Caucasus: Crossroads of International Relations," a recommended reference book for understanding the political situation in the modern Caucasus and Russia.
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