Black sea and the caucasus region| causes of instability and the ways to deal with them

The collapse of the Soviei Union has changed international system and put the newly independent slaies of the Caucasus finnly into geopolitical calculations, which prompted disagreemenis, hostility, and possible armed interventions. In this context, this paper identifies the sources of unrest and threats to the stability of the Black Sea-Caucasus region. First, domestic sources of conflicts in the area, such as ethnic diversity, religious differenees, economic inequaIity, and tOlalitarianism are explored. Seeondly, the influenee and foreign policies of number of countries active in the region are analysed, devoting particular atteniion to the attempts and inability of Russia to reconsolidate its power and hegemony. Third, the legal quandary over the definition of the Caspian Sea\\'s slalus and the controversy surrounding the issue of transporting its natural resources out of the region are explored. The environmentaI issues in connection with the oil exploration activities in the Caspian Sea is also takcn up. Finally, mechanisms for diffusing at least some of the controversies and threats are discussed within the context of the prospects awaiting the region in the mid-to-Iong tenn.