Politics and International Relations in Eurasia

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Eurasia has long been characterized by intense competition among populations and among States. The collapse of the Soviet Union constituted a critical juncture in the regions course, since informal and formal norms subsided, giving rise to a hardly regulated socio-political environment, where survival and security considerations ranked atop. In this context, populations, first and foremost, sought to have their existence guaranteed within nation-states. While in most cases that transition was accomplished without major impediments, in the cases of Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia, and Azerbaijan, major challenges have been encountered, leaving their mark deep in the post-soviet course of the newly independent republics. Moldova has been rattled by the conflict in Transdniestria, Ukraine by the conflict in Crimea, Georgia by the conflict in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and Azerbaijan by the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. In fact, these conflicts have been classified as frozen conflicts, given their unsettled nature and the smoldering fire between opposing populations within the respective republics. This intense competition, however, has not been constrained only to the domestic level and only to the issue of frozen conflicts. Eurasias energy prospects have also been the cause of a constant power struggle among the States of the region. With the Caspian Sea to constitute a rich in natural resources hub, a clash of interests has taken place among the littoral States. Moreover, this competition has acquired a much broader geopolitical dimension, extending to Eurasias two ends, the European Union and China. As a result, Eurasias underbelly has become an area where the maximization of power figures as the best guarantee of survival and security in a fully unregulated environment. Taken together, frozen conflicts (domestic level) and energy politics (international level) stand out as (the) two main features of Eurasia, both unfolding in comparable conditions. Therefore, the book presents them as a two-level game, aiming at offering better substantiated explanations that draw on the very fundamentals of political science, and at building a bridge of communication between the two levels that allows for well-informed and widely applicable policy implications.

Reviews

Stylianos Sotiriou focuses on Eurasias semi-recognized entities such as Crimea, Nagorno-Karabakh, South Ossetia, and Transnistria, as well as the international and energy politics that define the region. Although the politics of Eurasia is not limited to these issues, focusing on semi-states and energy politics is a useful approach to the regions dynamics that will expand our knowledge of Eurasia. -- Andrei P. Tsygankov, San Francisco State University
Stylianos Sotiriou expands our understanding of the complex geopolitics of Eurasia by delving into the frozen conflicts of the former Soviet Union and the often byzantine issues surrounding energy transit to China and Europe. He shows that these two dynamics will shape the future of this region and, as a consequence, the very future of the international system itself. It comes recommended for those who want deeper insights into Eurasian domestic and international politics, and how the interests of a diverse array of actors intersect, overlap, and conflict in this most critical of regions. -- Thomas Ambrosio, North Dakota State University
Using sophisticated theoretical approaches from political science, Stylianos Sotiriou presents powerful explanations of the origins and dynamics of five "frozen conflicts" in the former Soviet space. Without sacrificing historical and institutional context and by deploying analyses based in rationality and cultural sensitivity, he illuminates how the critical juncture created by the collapse of the USSR led to the crises in Transdniestria, Crimea, Nagorno-Karabakh, South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Beyond the case studies, the author extends his focus outward to include the politics of oil and the interplay of China and Russia. This is an exemplary exploration and explanation of conflicts that have defied resolution. -- Ronald Grigor Suny, William H. Sewell Jr. Distinguished University Professor of History and Political Science, University of Michigan
In this thoughtful work, Stylianos Sotiriou combines approaches of both comparative politics and international relations to account for the varying power of institutions on managing the so-called frozen conflicts in Eurasia. Sotirious analysis unites an understanding of Russian (and others) foreign policy interests with opportunities in the domestic politics of Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, and Azerbaijan to explain the contours of the regions conflicts. This book offers an engaging and well-informed voice to the conversation how foreign and domestic politics combine to exacerbate civil wars. -- Julie A. George, City University of New York
The Eurasian region remains a work in progress, with contending geopolitical and state projects interacting with struggles for national self-affirmation at the state and sub-state levels, provoking a number of frozen conflicts. Sotirous two-level scheme allows the context and content of Eurasian developments to be analyzed through their interaction. This masterly, erudite and highly informative work is essential reading for anyone trying to understand the problems of late state development in the region -- Richard Sakwa, University of Kent

Author Bio

Stylianos A. Sotiriou is lecturer of political science and international relations at the University of Macedonia