Events / News

Russia’s War in Ukraine: Perspectives from the South Caucusus

First published in New Eastern Europe, Analysis, Issue 3, 2022.
Authors: Bidina Lebanidze, Irena Gonashvili, and Veronica Pfeilschifter

In the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and following the adage ‘if it bleeds, it leads’ the world, particularly Western Europe, was plastered with news from that war-stricken country. Indeed, as the unfolding events were scrutinised with a fine comb; perspectives from other post-soviet countries were also thrust into the spotlight.

The team at Jena-Cauc analysed the reactions of three countries from the South Caucus, namely Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, and that of the 3 de facto South Caucasian states of Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and South-Ossetia, to the Russian invasion as well looking into the motivations and interests behind the same. Despite each of the three countries following an independent strategy with regards to Russia, one common theme was their reluctance to sanction Moscow. The reticent approach by Baku, Tbilisi, and Yerevan serves to underscore their vulnerability and security concerns vis-a-viś the Russian state. By far the most positive responses from the region were observed in the Russia dependent de facto states of Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and South-Ossetia.

For the complete analysis of the situation, please go to: https://neweasterneurope.eu/2022/04/25/russias-war-in-ukraine-perspectives-from-the-south-caucasus/?fbclid=IwAR1QIDy_W4ZKiN3fYALELl5umCFAXRvgUnKHsAafib5ISYCqrRRiu73OTqIExternal link 

Azerbaijan: The Three Dimensions of National Territory

May 12th 2022, 1600 Hrs (CET), Zoom Webinar

In the first webinar of the ‘Across the Caucus Guest Talk Series’ we were joined by Dr Leyla Sayfutdinova, who is a Marie Curie Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of St Andrews. Her current brainchild is a research project titled ‘Turning Oil into Stone: Oil Legacies in the Narratives of Urban Continuity and Change’ and is an interdisciplinary research approach that reconciles various themes such as nationalism, urban change, post-socialist industrial transformation, and the transformation of the post-Soviet sphere. During the course of her talk, Dr Sayfutdinova explored the dimensions of national territory and the meaning they hold for Azerbaijan. Relations with the Lezgins, territorialisation of the Caspian Sea, resource nationalism, and the intersection of natural resources and national territory formed the bedrock of her lecture. As a native of Baku, Dr Sayfutdinova’s personal experiences added a novel dimension to her talk and resulted in an enrichening experience for our audience. We thank Dr Sayfutdinova for her time and participation and look forward to hosting her again in the future.

The Kick-off conference "Resilience in the South Caucasus: Perspectives and Challenges of the New EU Foreign Policy Concept"

The Kick-off event for our research project "Resilience in the South Caucasus: Perspectives and Challenges of the New EU Foreign Policy Concept" (Jena-Cauc) was held on 10 November 2021.

In addition to presenting the key details about the overall project and what to expect next in the near future, each member of the research team and the current fellows presented their planned contributions, particularly how their research will address the concept of resilience.

The presentations were followed by a lively and open Q&A session, as well as a networking reception. The Jena-Cauc Project Team is grateful to all the participants and presenters who made the Kick-off a fun, safe, and engaging event!

You can view a detailed summary of the event under the following linkpdf, 343 kb · de

Auftaktveranstaltung. Resilience in the South Caucasus: prospects and challenges of a new EU foreign policy concept — JENA-CAUC

10. November 2021, 18 Uhr

FSU Jena, Rosensäle, Fürstengraben 27 im „Kleinen Sitzungssaal“, 1. Etage

Wir freuen uns, Sie zur Auftaktveranstaltung für unser Forschungsprojekt „Resilienz im Südkaukasus: Perspektiven und Herausforderungen des neuen EU-Außenpolitikansatzes“ (Jena-Cauc) einzuladen. Das Projekt zielt darauf ab, eine umfassende Analyse des Resilienz-Ansatzes der EU-Außenpolitik im Südkaukasus und dessen Beitrag zu Konflikt- und Krisenprävention sowie zur regionalen und europäischen Integration zu erarbeiten.

Detaillierte Informationen zur Veranstaltungpdf, 112 kb · de

Opinion: Georgia on EU’s mind? Brussels’ reinvention as crisis manager

Co-authored by Bidzina Lebanidze

"Over the last two years the EU has experienced series of setbacks in its eastern neighbourhood. It failed to negotiate a power transition arrangement in Belarus, as a result of Russia’s military buildup the precarious situation in eastern Ukraine almost slipped out of Ukraine, and a full-scale military conflict over Nagorny-Karabagh started, evolved and finished without any involvement of the EU or its member states. All this adds up to increasing assertiveness of illiberal actors such Russia and Turkey, and to the EU's astonishing lack of future vision on how to improve relations with its eastern neighbourhood region. For this background of multiple failures, Georgia's recent post-election crisis between the government and the opposition came as a window of opportunity for the EU to reassert its place as an important player in its eastern neighbourhood."

Originally published by https://euobserver.com/ 

Available under the following linkExternal link