In this well-researched & fascinating book, noted journalist Thomas de Waal--author of the highly acclaimed Black Garden--makes the case that while the Caucasus is often treated as a sub-plot in the history of Russia, or as a mere gateway to Asia, the five-day war in Georgia, which flared into a major international crisis in 2008, proves that this is still a combustible region, whose inner dynamics & history deserve a much more complex appreciation from the wider world. In The Caucasus, de Waal provides this richer, deeper, & much-needed appreciation, one that reveals that the South Caucasus--Armenia, Azerbaijan, & Georgia, & their many smaller regions, enclaves, & breakaway entities--is a fascinating & distinct world unto itself. Providing both historical background & an insightful analysis of the period after 1991, de Waal sheds light on how the region has been scarred by the tumultuous scramble for independence & the three major conflicts that broke out with the end of the Soviet Union--Nagorny Karabakh, Abkhazia, & South Ossetia. The book examines the region as a major energy producer & exporter; offers a compelling account of the Rose Revolution in Georgia, the rise of Mikheil Saakashvili, & the August 2008 war; & considers the failure of the South Caucasus, thus far, to become a single viable region. In addition, the book features a dozen or so ”boxes” which provide brief snapshots of such fascinating side topics as the Kurds, Turkish-Armenian rapprochement, the promotion of the region as the ” Soviet Florida, ” & the most famous of all Georgians, Stalin. The Caucasus delivers a vibrantly written & timely account of this turbulent region, one that will prove indispensable for all concerned with world politics. It is, as well, a stimulating read for armchair travellers & for anyone curious about far-flung corners of the world.