"The Post-Soviet Wars" is a comparative account of the organized violence in the Caucasus region, looking at four key areas: Chechnya, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Dagestan. The book provides a brief history of the region, particularly the collapse of the Soviet Union and the resulting changes that took place in the wake of this toppling. Zurcher carefully looks at the conditions within each region-economic, ethnic, religious, and political- to make sense of why some turned to violent conflict and some did not and what the future of the region might portend. A compelling account of modern-day global conflicts and contemporary nation building, this important volume provides an overview of the region that is both up-to-date and comprehensive, as well as an accessible understanding of the current scholarship on mobilization and violence.

Originally published: 2007.

Introduction: war and peace in the Caucasus -- Setting the stage: the past, the nation, and the state -- Making sense: conflict theory and the Caucasus -- Wars over Chechnya -- Wars in Georgia -- The war over Karabakh -- Wars that did not happen: Dagestan and Ajaria -- Conclusion: post-Soviet wars and theories of internal wars.