Peimani challenges the practical indifference of many Western and non-Western countries with interests in Central Asia and the Caucasus to their plight. Independence in 1991 suddenly worsened all the ...economic and social problems of the countries of the Caucasus (Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia) and Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan). Their failure to address their numerous economic problems and to develop their economies has created a suitable ground for the rise of social and political popular dissent, including ethnic conflicts, in all these multi-ethnic countries.Concerned about the stability of their political systems, their ruling elites have all opted for authoritarianism. The prevailing intolerance of dissent and the suppression of opposition, political parties have paved the way for the emergence of anti-government extremist ideologies and political groups. The domestic situation has become ripe for the rise of violent political activities and ethnic conflicts, with a great possibility for their escalation to civil wars. The ethnic structure of both the Caucasus and Central Asia makes their development into inter-state wars a strong possibility. The unsettled ethnic and territorial conflicts within and between countries, which turned into wars in the early 1990s, could easily re-emerge. There is a potential for the further escalation of military conflicts in those regions because of the intentional or unintentional intervention of Iran, China, Turkey, Russia, and the United States, which have long-term interests in the two regions. Given the geographical characteristics of the Caucasus and Central Asia as a link between Asia and Europe, war and instability in those regions could destabilize the two continents hosting six declared nuclear powers. Of particular interest to scholars and other researchers involved with Eurasian, Central Asian, and Caucasian countries.
Okončanjem hladnog rata i disolucijom SSSR-a, Kavkaz je bio na marginama interesa Zapada. Međunarodna je zajednica početkom i tijekom 90-ih veći dio svoje pozornosti i energije usmjeravala na druge ...svjetske konflikte, i nije promptno mogla, a ni smatrala nužnim reagirati u konfliktima na, kako je to tada izgledalo, limitiranom prostoru, u backyardu Rusije. Iako se europska sigurnost drži nedjeljivom od euroatlantskih saveznika još od kraja Drugog svjetskog rata, SAD i Europska unija nisu do kraja jasno definirali što za njih znači južni Kavkaz i treba li biti smatran dijelom euroatlantskog prostora ili je od marginalna značaja za sigurnost i stabilnost EU-a i Europe kao kontinenta.
Kako je regija Kavkaza geostrateška spojnica između tranzicijske istočne Europe, turbulentnog Bliskog istoka i srednje Azije, te dviju ponekad neprihvatljivih država u regiji - Irana i Turske, danas se na prostoru Kavkaza još u većoj mjeri isprepliću vitalni interesi donekle oporavljenog susjeda i nekadašnjega gospodara Rusije, s preostalom globalnom supersilom SAD-om u smislu (još uvijek) posthladnoratovskoga globalnog pozicioniranja.
Prelamanje mnogo interesnih silnica na malom i nestabilnom prostoru izniman su rizik za preksutrašnje granice Europske unije ukoliko se prostorom Kavkaza bude i dalje bavila samo usput i marginalno.
In the region of Central Asia and South Caucasus, what is the potential for armed conflict, and how might such outbreaks escalate to a level that could involve U.S. forces? The authors evaluate the ...key political, economic, and societal faultlines underlying the likelihood of conflict in the region, assessing their implications for regional stability and for U.S. interests and potential involvement over the next 10 to 15 years.
Ruska Federacija kao relativno nova državna tvorevina i dalje je podložna turbulentnim događanjima koja u bitnome mogu ugroziti njezinu opstojnost. Niz dezintegrativnih procesa jačeg ili slabijeg ...intenziteta predstavlja breme radu Vlade i stvara probleme normalnom funkcioniranju vlasti na cijelom teritoriju države. Osim ovih problema, Ruska Federacija suočava se i s ekonomskim poteškoćama koje su donekle ublažene porastom cijena nafte na svjetskom tržištu.
Tento článek sleduje dvojí úkol. Za prvé, objasňuje genezi americko-ruských vztahů v rovině vzájemných percepcí v prvním desetiletí po rozpadu Sovětského svazu, kdy se obě mocnosti pokoušely najít ...svoje místo v novém globálním pořádku. Akcent je přitom kladen na evoluci ruské zahraniční politiky v tomto období, které do značné míry plynulo ze způsobu, jak se postsovětské Rusko vnímalo samo sebe. Následně se studie pokouší o reflexi této evoluce ze strany USA, jejichž percepce dění v Rusku ovlivňovaly americký přístup vůči této zemi, což se zejména týkalo amerického aktivismu v postsovětském prostoru. Objasnění významu kavkazsko-středoasijského areálu pro genezi rusko-amerického soupeření v postsovětském období pak slouží jako případová studie (pan)regionu, kde se střetávaly často protichůdné zájmy Moskvy a Washingtonu. Článek ukazuje, že právě toto jižní křídlo bývalého Sovětského svazu – zejména v kontextu těžby a tranzitu kaspických surovin na vnější trhy – posloužilo jako aréna vzájemných interakcí mezi USA a Ruskem, kde byl jejich konfliktní potenciál obzvlášť patrný.
Armenia is a small country situated in the Transcaucasus on the border of Europe and Asia. For visitors from Central Europe, the huge landscape variety from the perspective of geological, ...geomorfological and climatic factors is surprising, as well as the vegetation and floristic diversity. Here alpine vegetation, semideserts, phryganoid vegetations and mountain steppes occurre in the same area, together with interesting forest vegetation types. Beautiful country - side rich in ancient historical monuments is a great treasure for this small country lying at the crossroads of cultures, biogeo - graphical regions and migration routes.
Ester Ekrtová, Libor Ekrt.
The extremely dry lower altitudes of Armenia are occupied by semi-desert and phryganoid xerophyte plant communities with many rare endemics, useful wild plant species and wild relatives of cultivated ...plants. The rather high proportion of semi- -desert vegetation was transformed to agricultural areas due to irrigation. At higher altitudes, steppes and meadow-steppes are abundant and thorn-cushion communities are rather widespread too. In regions with high annual precipitation, meadows represent species rich and ornamental forest-free vegetation.
Ester Ekrtová, Libor Ekrt.
Forest vegetation occupied some 20 % of this Armenian area, with forests of three types. Open forests consist of short, rather sparse trees (juniper/pistachio/oak). Alluvial vegetation occurs as a ...narrow belt of trees or scrub along rivers and streams. Deciduous forests usually develop in more humid places and may show interesting parallels to our lowland and upland forests. Traditional management (in Europe practi - sed in the past) is maintained, providing an inspiration for our nature conservation.
Ester Ekrtová, Libor Ekrt.
In Armenia, more than 50 % of the territory lies at an altitude of over 2 000 metres a. s. l. The overall landscape and the mountain flora and vegetation are determined by volcanic areas alternating ...with crystalline massif or limestone areas.
Ester Ekrtová, Libor Ekrt.
Pitanje podrijetla i prvobitne domovine Protobugara kao jedan od najkompleksnijih problema stvara teškoće istraživačima euroazijske povijesti. Istraživanja na tom području već su dugo u krizi i ...potrebni su novi pristupi. Ovaj rad sadržava takav originalni prijedlog. Ime »Bugar« čak se i danas javlja u središnjoj Aziji i kao zemljopisni naziv i kao etnonim u Transoksijani u srednjovjekovnim tekstovima. Ti su se zapisi uglavnom ignorirali s izlikom da su u geografiji povezani s anakronizmom ili kompleksnostima. Transoksijanski Bugari, koji su vjerojatno imali neku važnost u prvim stoljećima islama u središnjoj Aziji i koji su se jasno razlikovali od lokalnih iranskih naroda, ali se nisu svrstavali u turska (turkijska) plemena zbog svojih dijalekata, s vremenom su, čini se, prihvatili općeturski (općeturkijski jezik) kao posljedicu rastućega istočnoturskog stanovništva u regiji. To je u konačnici pridonijelo današnjoj uzbečkoj etniji. Na njihovu su prisutnost vjerojatno najjače utjecali Mongoli. Bugari u Europi bili su potomci onih koji su napustili svoju pradjedovsku zemlju u Transoksijani i došli na Kavkaz u 2. stoljeću prije Krista.