Bolshakov Andrey

POST-CONFLICT GEORGIA: FROM A FAILED STATE TO A MODERNIZED POLITY?

The article analyzes the processes that are going on in today’s Georgia and the possible scenarios of the country’s further development. Having considered the situation that has formed in this former Soviet republic since the armed conflict of August 2008, A.Bolshakov suggests that the loss of two separatist territories that did not actually obey the central government can have a positive effect on the country’s development by giving impetus to its rapid modernization. According to the author’s estimates, the risks facing Georgia today, although considerable, are not catastrophic in nature, which gives hope for its gradual turning into a stable state.

DOI: 10.30570/2078-5089-2009-52-1-111-122

«FROZEN CONFLICTS» OF THE POST-SOVIET SPACE: DEADLOCKS OF INTERNATIONAL PEACEKEEPING

The article is devoted to the analysis of reasons hampering final settlement of the four “frozen” ethnic conflicts on the post-soviet space – the conflicts in Abkhazia, Karabakh, Transdniestria and South Ossetia. Having studied the course of the peacekeeping process, A.Bolshakov came to a conclusion that the settlement of “frozen conflicts” is impeded not only by contradictions between their immediate participants, but also by a tough geopolitical struggle. According to his conclusion, the “frozen conflicts” of the post-soviet space will in the nearest future remain “frozen”, for in a situation where the interest of geopolitical players competing on the post-soviet space objectively diverge, destabilization of the whole system of international relations could be the only alternative.

DOI: 10.30570/2078-5089-2008-48-1-27-37

The Fate of Federal Projects in the Post-Soviet Space.

The author views federalism as both the world phenomenon and the factor of democracy enhancing. The main task of his research is in finding out the causes of the failure of federalist projects in the post-soviet space and the reasons of their low popularity both with the ruling elite and the society at large. A. Bolshakov attempts to assess the prospects of federalism in Russia and other post-soviet countries; he sees the use of its possibilities as an important and effective way of the resolution of current conflicts and contradictions.

DOI: 10.30570/2078-5089-2007-44-1-112-125