Asteroid Publishing Releases 'Abkhazia and Sochi: The Roots of the Conflict'

"Abkhazia and Sochi: The Roots of the Conflict" by Andrew Andersen, published by Asteroid Publishing, Inc., is about the roots of one of the conflicts in a strategically important area of the world - the Caucasus. It provides analysis of the military, political and diplomatic struggle for Abkhazia and Sochi in 1918-1921 between Russia and Georgia and examines the major processes that fueled the ethnic hatred in the region which is one of those hot spots where polar ideologies and economic interests of major powers collide, but which somehow gets neglected by politicians and the media, leaving the small nations involved in the conflict at the mercy of their powerful and ambitious neighbor - Russia. The recent ethnic cleansing in Abkhazia is a grim reminder of how important it is to understand the volcanic forces that may explode the region, with dire consequences for the whole world.

The book draws parallels between the post-World War I imperialist ambitions of Russia (both communist and anticommunist) and the modern hegemonism of the Kremlin. Indeed, after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the South Caucasus once again gained international importance. Today, it serves as a natural corridor, through which the West can access the vital hydrocarbon resources of Central Asia, bypassing Russia. That is why the Russian leadership considers it crucially important to restore its political control over the recently independent states of the South Caucasus, or alternatively, to destabilize them to the extent that the newly-opened land bridge between Europe and Asia would not function.

The current situation in the region in question became possible largely due to the fact that the history of Abkhazia and her legal and cultural connections remain unknown. The paucity of publicly available objective information on the Abkhazian situation opens up great opportunities for ideologically-loaded and sometimes even instigative interpretations of this sensitive issue.

The book contains 18 full-color maps and over 20 photographs and other illustrations.