1st Edition
De Facto States in the Post-Soviet Area Mechanisms of Formation, Operation and Survival
This book provides an insightful analysis and holistic account of the process of the formation of de facto states in the post-Soviet area. Looking beyond the stereotype of mere puppet subjects, the author explores the contemporary operation of separatist regions in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Transnistria, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Donbas to understand the motives and mechanisms for their emergence and their instrumentalization in the politics of great powers. Using policy documents, quantitative data, and political statements, she explores the historical origins of the area and its operation during the Soviet era, armed separatist conflicts and their implications, and the actions of the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the European Union, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and the role of powers such as the Russian Federation and the US. The research contributes to the debate on the significance of de facto states for regional security and their potential for national identity building. It will be of interest to scholars and students of Russia and the Post-Soviet Area in International Relations and Nation-Building.
Introduction
1. Secessionist Movements in Abkhazia and South Ossetia
2. Existence of the Republic of Abkhazia and the Republic of South Ossetia
3. Secessionist Movements in Transnistria
4. Existence of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic
5. Secessionist movement in Nagorno-Karabakh
6. Existence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
7. Secessionist Movements in the Donbas
8. Existence of the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic
Conclusion
Biography
Agnieszka Miarka is Assistant Professor at the Institute of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, the University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland. Her research focuses on separatism, de facto states in the post-Soviet area, and foreign and security policies of the states of Eastern Europe and the Southern Caucasus.
