The South Caucasus: A History of Identities, an Identity of Histories

Abstract

For Armenians, Azerbaijanis, and Georgians, as well as for their neighbors within the post-Soviet area, their gaining of independence in 1991 was an unexpected gift, even if many of them had long been dreaming of it. For the leading politicians of the day within the Communist republics, accustomed as they were to managing a fairly modest domestic agenda — as well as for the dilettantes in the ranks of the newly formed national (post-Communist) elites — there emerged a problem with which neither they nor their predecessors had any experience: that of building a new, fully functional nation-state from the ground up. At the time, however, few of the politicians concerned were fully aware of the magnitude of the task which confronted them. Given the euphoric expectations which abounded during the first few months of independence, there arose an oversimplified perception of the complicated local and international context within which that independence had been gained, and this misperception came fully reflected in the definition of both internal and foreign policy goals. Emotions and desires, rediscovered feelings of “historical hatred” and “blood relations” — these were the factors which came to be decisive for not only domestic politics, but also for relations with international neighbors, even if the old guard continued to take Moscow’s wishes into account.