VOL. 4 (4) - AUTUMN 2010
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RESEARCH PAPERS
“Traditional Gap” in the ICJ’s Advisory Opinion on Kosovo
(pp. 313-324)
by Mushfig Mammadov
On February 17, 2008 Kosovo, hitherto the internationally recognized territory of Serbia, unilaterally declared its independence. Three of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (the USA, UK and France) immediately recognized the independence of Kosovo, while the other two, Russia and China, sharply criticized Kosovo’s step and have thus far refused to recognize Kosovo as an independent state. In October 2008 the UN General Assembly requested the International Court of Justice (ICJ), upon the initiative of Serbia, to render an advisory opinion with regard to whether the unilateral declaration of independence adopted by the provisional institutions of Kosovo was in accordance with international law…read more
Peace-Building from the Bottom:
A Case Study of the North Caucasus (pp 325-341)
by Huseyn Aliyev
This article provides a brief overview of bottom-up peace-building and its practice in the North Caucasus. The hypothesis developed in this study is an assumption that the conflict in North Caucasus starts at the community, or grass-roots, level. Therefore, peaceful resolutions to conflict should be sought by implementing a local, bottom-up type of peace-building. Such peace-building measures, in turn, require the active participation of civil society and, in particular, independent and functional local and international NGOs…read more
EU and Turkish Neighborhood Policies: Common Goals
(pp. 342-353)
by Çigdem Üstün
Turkey and the European Union (EU) share the same neighborhood in the Mediterranean, Middle East, the Black Sea, and the Caucasus regions, with the same objectives of creating a ring of friends, minimizing threats to their social, political, economic, and energy interests, and ensuring stability. This paper aims to explain the relations of Turkey and the EU with the shared neighborhood countries; to analyze the compatibility of Turkish and EU neighborhood policies; and to demonstrate the need for these two actors to work together in order to achieve credible results in their neighborhood policies. I argue that coordinated Turkish and EU neighborhood policies may bring better results than individualistic approaches, bringing the credibility that the EU needs the most in these regions as well as opening channels of communication in a constructive manner. This relationship is believed to be mutually beneficial as long as Turkey and the EU both maximize their capabilities in these regions…read more
Now Who Answers the Phone in Europe?
Cooperation within the CFSP
after the Enlargements and the Lisbon Treaty
(pp. 354-367)
by Nelli Babayan
Despite its alleged inconsistency, the foreign policy of the European Union was successful with the enlargements of 2004 and 2007. The enlargements resulted in an increased number of EU members with important votes in qualified majority voting (QMV) and crucial influence over the unanimous decision-making. Meanwhile, the Lisbon Treaty is meant to foster greater cooperation among the member-states and make the EU speak with one voice in terms of foreign policy. This article analyses the political and institutional dynamics in the EU foreign policy decision-making process after the enlargements and in the wake of the Lisbon Treaty…read more
Social Capital
Development in Multiethnic Crimea:
Global, Regional and Local
Constraints and Opportunities (pp. 368-385)
by Milana V. Nikolko and David B. Carment
This article analyses social capital in
Ukraine, using the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (ARC) as a case study. To
understand how a multiethnic society like Crimea can build and strengthen
social capital in the face of economic and political challenges, we focus on
the relationship between global, regional and local politics; the subsequent
impact on people’s work and private lives; and the actions which can be
undertaken by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), international
organizations and the state in order to avoid the detrimental trends the
region is currently experiencing. Regarding social capital, Ukraine provides
an enigmatic example as the country has myriad civil society actors who
should, theoretically, constitute the cornerstone of social capital
formation and interethnic cooperation…read more
INTERVIEW
“Major Foreign Intervention in Kyrgyzstan would Prompt a Rush to Nationalism by Even the Most Moderate Figures”
(pp. 386-388)
Interview with Dr. John Heathershaw,
University of Exeter, UK
CRIA: Can you weigh in on the recent upheaval in Kyrgyzstan and summarize what type of international intervention may now be appropriate?
Clearly, the subsequent ethnic violence in Osh was sparked by the political crisis and dynamics of 2010. The political crisis was not essentially ethnic but had ethnic aspects and, more importantly, created the conditions of insecurity which enabled the violence in and around Osh. Those that attempt to read the ethnic violence back to the border delimitations of Stalin’s era often miss out this crucial political aspect. Central Asia since 1991 has suffered far less armed conflict (and certainly ethnic conflict) than most security analysts have predicted and this is testament to the need for exceptional explanations of exceptional violence. But the relative lack of conflict is of no consolation to those that still suffer from the awful ethnic violence in of June.…read more
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