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The article examines themes related to foreign policies transition with respect to the experiences of Central Asia and the Caucasus. It discusses the relationship between post-communist institutional reorganization and foreign policy conduct. Trends indicating that economic expansion and new cooperation on security issues are combining to lead to greater security and economic development of Central Asian states are discussed. According to the article, post-communist transition is not related to the inter-state relationships among Central Asian countries.

The article discusses the need for regional cooperation in order to ensure human security in the Southern Caucasus. The significant effects on human security of the dormant conflict in the region include large numbers of people displaced from their homes and impeded economic recovery due to lack of political settlement. It suggests that regional functional and low-level issue area cooperation would enhance levels of confidence and trust in the region. It cites the need for political movement to create regional mechanisms that will enhance human security.

The article focuses on the plan of NATO to strengthen the Partnership for Peace (PfP) with the Caucasus and Central Asia. Shared values essential to the partnership include the protection and promotion of fundamental freedoms and human rights. Also stressed is the need for the allies to confront the challenge of maintaining the relevancy of the Partnership by adapting it to serve the diverse interests of partners who are not seeking membership as well as the changing security needs of the allies.

The article examines the state of environmental law and policy in the South Caucasus, focusing on amendments in the environmental law and policy in Armenia and Georgia since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. The general political environment and institutional structures in Armenia and Georgia and the amendments in environmental laws, bureaucracies and in each country are discussed. It assesses the relative impacts of such political and institutional characteristics on the effectiveness of environmental protection.

The article discusses international and domestic influences on minority policy in Central Asia and the Caucasus. It is said that the scholarly debate on state policy, in which roots may depend on group size and economic power, towards minorities is less developed. An overview of the minority situation across the regions is provided focusing on the development of policies concerning minority language, education and political participation. The article also examined the incentives, sanctions and other activities by European institutions in the region.

This paper examines the evolution of EU policies and strategies in the area of conflict resolution in the Caucasus. These range from micro-conflict resolution (e.g. EU programming in South Ossetia), through participation in diplomatic processes related to ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the emergence of suicide terrorism in Chechnya (1999-2005) using a blend of quantitative content analysis (CATA) and a new dataset of suicide attacks in the North Caucasus. ..PAT.-Conference Proceeding [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces the concept of ?ethnic enclosure? in order to examine the relationships between the symbolic use of historical knowledge by the Soviet rulers and contemporary politics in the former communist countries in the Caucasus. ..PAT.-Conference Proceeding [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bosnia and the North Caucasus are ethnically diverse, post-communistsocieties, where the different ethnic groups at times haveco-existed peacefully and at other times have found themselves atodds with one another or their governments. This study examinesbeliefs in the possibility of inter-ethnic cooperation in eachsociety, based on survey instruments aimed at measuring attitudesand preferences towards the contemporary situation,socio-demographic characteristics, and the nature of cross-nationalrelations in the light of experiences of conflict and continuedunsettled political environment of the region. Our dependentvariable, belief in the possibility of inter-ethnic cooperation, isa categorical variable based on responses the following survey stub:\emph{Among national groups, it is possible to create cooperationbut never to fully trust.} We measure and correct for surveyresponse incomparability across BiH and the North Caucasus by usingthe anchoring vignette along with an estimation technique calledchopit (short for compound hierarchical ordered probit), whichallows us to incorporate anchoring vignettes.We find that there is a substantial belief in the possibility ofinter-ethnic cooperation both in BiH and the North Caucasus, inspite of substantial inter-ethnic violence in each location.Moreover, it appears that while the violent ethnic conflict in therecent history of BiH has created greater barriers to inter-ethniccooperation, but the vast majority of Croats, Bosniacs, and Serbs,agree or strongly agree that cooperation is possible, even withoutthe elusive inter-ethnic --trust.'' The same is true in the NorthCaucasus region, although we have not been able to conduct surveysin Chechnya or Ingusetia. Beyond ascriptive and demographiccharacteristics, very few attitudinal variables seem to be importantin determining this belief in the possibility of cooperation.However, --pocketbook'' issues seem quite prominent as those in BiHand the North Caucasus who believe that things are getting betterand who also have higher levels of material well being are moreoptimistic about cooperation. Those still struggling to survive, orwho perceive their situation to continue to deteriorate are lessoptimistic about inter-ethnic cooperation.The full paper is available by request from mdw@u.washington.edu. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The theme of my paper is the situation in the Caucasus and Central Asia after September 11th, the role of new states, military-economic hegemony and new world order; The nature of hegemony and power in world politics, New aspects of hegemony and dominance in the Caucasus and Central Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Balkans, Caucasus and the Middle East are the areas most in need of conflict resolution arrangements and cooperative policies. Strategic linkages limit the effectiveness of regional solutions in the area of politico-military security, but they also emphas ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the impact of emerging political Islamic institutions on transitions to democracy in 7 post-Soviet Muslim countries (Central Asia and Caucasus) by utilizing fuzzy-set QCA (Qualitative Comparative Analysis). ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]