ALDO FERRARI

Il Caucaso: una frontiera cruciale

218

Maggio-Agosto 2008

Anno LXXIII    n. 2

Summary -  After the fall of USSR the Caucasus became one of the most relevant and troubled regions on the international scene. The region links the Caspian Sea basin to the Black Sea and is the juncture between the greater Middle East , Turkey , Iran , and the Russian Federation . While the North Caucasus is still part of the Russian Federation , the South Caucasus contains three independent states: Georgia , Armenia , and Azerbaijan . This paper takes into consideration the main questions concerning the policies of major external states, the role of energy in regional developments, the political situation of the local states, the presence of a number of ethno-territorial conflicts, the strategic rivalry between Russia and USA, and the increasing role of European Union in the South Caucasus.