IREn5019 No War, No Peace:
Frozen Conflicts in the
Caucasus
Mgr. Zinaida Bechná, Ph.D.
Saturdays: 10:00 – 11:40, U33
Office Hours: Office # 4.67, by appointment
Office Phone: 549 49 6761
E-mail: bechna@fss.muni.cz 
15.9.2021
Course objectives
• Solid, elaborate picture of the conflict processes and mechanisms in the Caucasus
region.
• Understand the logic of violence and trace the path of evolution of the life cycle. 
• Develop the analytical skills and practice critical analysis of the students.
• Investigation of factors that affect conflict (re)escalation processes, the role of
external actors, democratic development and possible ways for conflict resolution. 
• Understanding the fragile peace arrangements or the reasons for the impossibility
for resolution is significant. Studying the evolution of changing nature of these
conflicts along with the packages of factors (both internal and external) that may
reignite large-scale violence, students will explore the possible ways of resolution
of these conflicts in future. 
The Caucasus
The Caucasus

“The new world disorder”

8 conflicts: N-K, South Ossetia, Abkhazia, the Prigorodniy Rayon
of North Ossetia and Chechnya – hundred thousand deaths, two
million six hundred thousand refugees and Internally Displaces
Persons.

Ethnic based autonomous regions of Soviet era
Geographical settings in the Caucasus

Northern border: Krasnodar and Stavropol Krai, Russian mainland
begins.

Western border: eastern border of Ottoman empire.

Southerns border: Araxes river, Iran’s northern border.

Political map: three states- Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia plus
North Caucasus, part of RF.

400, 000km2 over 20 million people.

North Caucasus and South or Trans-Caucasia (from Russian
Zakavkaz) terms.
Museum of peoples

The North Caucasus: two groups

1. indigenous Caucasian peoples, the Vainakh peoples composed
of Chechens, Ingush and Tsova-Tush and Daegstani peoples
composed of Avars, Lezgins, Dargins and Laks and the Abkhaz
and Circassian peoples.

2. Turkic and Iranian settlers, Ossetians and Tats.
Multinational environment
The museum of people
The crossroad of religions

Islam both Shi’i and Ja’fari Shi’i Islam – majority of Azeris.

Sunni tradition in Dagestan. Hanafi school in Chechnya and
Ingushetia, the Turkic Karachais and Balkars, the Ajars of Georgia
and minority of Azeris (15-25%), minority of Ossetians (20-30%)
and Abkhazians (35%).

Judaism: Georgian Jews, Tays and Mountain Jews in Azerbaijan
and Dagestan.
The crossroad of religions
Azerbaijan - a nation with a Turkic and
majority-Muslim population. The Armenian Apostolic Church
Georgia – Orthodox Christianity
Languages
Languages
The Georgian alphabet The Armenian alphabet
Early history
• The advanced economy and
favorable geographic and
natural conditions of the area
attracted
the Byzantine, Persian, Mong
ol, Ottoman and
Russian empires.
• Ancient countries of Caucasus:
Armenia, Iberia, Colchis and
Albania.
Culture
The area was home to the well-developed
bronze culture known as the Colchian culture.
Golden braceletes, c 5-4 centuries BC.
Course goals
• By the end of the semester, students will be able to identify, analyze and evaluate who were the
conflict parties? What were the parties´ incompatible goals, values and interests? What were the
trigger events and issues at stake? How the conflicts evolved and why they have never been resolved? 
• The learning outcomes of the course will enable students upon completion to: 
• 1. Engage critically with different theories of ethnic conflicts. 
• 2. Obtain a broad knowledge of the conflict escalations process in the Caucasus region. 
• 3. Acquire insights of how political developments, socio-economic process and systemic features
resulted into the outbreak of violence. 
• 4. Examine the nature of conflicts in the Caucasus with respect to factors that generates those
conflicts and their change in time. 
• 5. Acquire knowledge of international engagement towards conflict settlement and establishment of
democratic institutions in the Caucasus. 
Requirements
• Readings: Students are responsible for completing all readings before every class and coming to class prepared to
discuss issues indicated for every session.
• Attendance: “spot attendance”.  
• Take home exercises: There will be two take-home assignments during the semester. The length of the assignment
should vary between 1800 and 3600 characters. Each of the assignments will be graded between 0 and 10 points.  
1. Are the conflicts in the Caucasus ethnic? If yes, explain why? If not, what type are the conflicts in this region? (choose
only one conflict) Due to: 21 November 2020.  
2. Based on comparison of Russian and Western engagement in the Caucasus conflicts explain, which strategy is more
successful for building sustainable stability in this region? Due to 12 December 2021.
• Presentation (10 points): Each student is required to present one presentation from the assigned literature for 10-12
minutes. 
• Final written test: The final written test will contain 10 open questions from the mandatory literature. You will have a
maximum of 60 minutes to complete the written test. There will be several terms of final examination in the Information
System. Final Grading: The maximum is 60 points; the minimum to complete the course is 35 points. 
• A 56 – 60 points , B 51 - 55 points , C 46 - 50 points , D 41 – 45 points , E 36 – 40 points , F less than 36 points.