From Disengagement to Active Economic Competition: Russia's Return to the South Caucasus and Central Asia

This article looks at the role of economic factors, particularly energy, as a key component of Russia’s complex and evolving relationship with the states of the South Caucasus and Central Asia. This article explains the major trends and changes that have taken place during the Yeltsin and Putin governments to identify the driving forces behind Russian policy towards the states of the region. It then describes current processes, potential, and constraints of Russian economic expansion, and considers some implications for CIS integration and the dynamics of conflict and cooperation in the region.