CAUCASIAN FROZEN CONFLICTS AND THEIR IMPACT ON NATO AND EU’S EASTERN FLANK
CAUCASIAN FROZEN CONFLICTS AND THEIR IMPACT ON NATO AND EU’S EASTERN FLANK

Author(s): Silviu Marius Suditu
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences
Published by: Carol I National Defence University Publishing House
Keywords: frozen conflicts; separatist republics; security; cooperation; NATO; Russia
Summary/Abstract: The Caucasian region is not only a bridge between Europe and Asia, but also abattlefield between the two of them. Therefore, it is not surprising that the area has been, andcontinues to be, full of conflicts. After leaving the USSR, several nationalist voices have emergedamong the former communist states, some of them striking even in the territorial integrity of thenew states. After the Kosovo War, the Russian Federation had an ace up its sleeve at thenegotiating table regarding the secessionist republics status in the Caucasus, putting an end to aperiod of international relations characterized by collaboration. Russia's aggressive intervention in2008, in the war between Georgia and the two secessionist republics on its territory, started a newreality towards the security on the NATO’s eastern flank. After the loss of Romania and Bulgaria infavor of the Western structures, Russia strengthened its power using force. So it used frozen conflicts on the former territory of the USSR, whenever the states in its geographical proximity made one more step to Europe. The Ukrainian war was the most complex issue for both NATO and the European Union to deal with, after the Cold War. Frequent conflicts and Russia's attitude in recent years, pose a real threat to regional stability in the east. That is why Western organizations,together with local actors, must address the new situation in the East, with tact and responsibility,especially under the new circumstances of unpredictability that have characterized the Caspian region over time.

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