The South Caucasus 20 Years After Independence

Thomas de Waal November 28, 2011 – November 29, 2011 Washington, D.C.

Summary

Twenty years after the end of the Soviet Union, the South Caucasus countries can no longer be considered “in transition,” but questions remain about how well they are faring compared to the democratic countries of the European Union or the rising economies of Asia.

Twenty years after the end of the Soviet Union, the South Caucasus countries can no longer be considered “in transition.” Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia have built functioning sovereign states. But many questions remain about how well they are faring compared to the democratic countries of the European Union or the rising economies of Asia.

Carnegie hosted a two-day conference to examine the lessons learned from twenty years of independence and state-building in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia and discuss the best paths of future development in the region. The conference brought together more than twenty non-governmental experts, academics, journalists, and civil society activists from the South Caucasus to discuss the evolution of human rights, economic reform, and the media, as well as the role of Western institutions in promoting democratization in the region.

Program

Data Presentation: Changing Public Attitudes in the South Caucasus

November 28, 2011 Washington, D.C. Jessica Tuchman Mathews, Thomas de Waal, Anthony Richter, Hans Gutbrod

New research demonstrates changing public attitudes in the South Caucasus toward human rights, economic reform, and the media, as well as the role of Western institutions in promoting democratization in the region.
Lessons Learned From 20 Years of Independence and Statebuilding: Armenia

November 28, 2011 Washington, D.C. John Evans, Levon Barseghyan, Emil Danielyan, Richard Giragosian, Alexander Iskandaryan

Twenty years after the end of the Soviet Union, Armenia has built a functioning sovereign state, but questions remain about how well that state is faring compared to the democratic countries of the European Union or the rising economies of Asia.
South Caucasus on the Silk Road to Europe

November 28, 2011 Washington, D.C. Eric Rubin

The U.S. level of engagement in the South Caucasus is very high and the region as a major priority for Washington.
Lessons Learned From 20 Years of Independence and Statebuilding: Azerbaijan

November 28, 2011 Washington, D.C. Richard Kauzlarich, Shahin Abbasov, Leila Alieva, Tabib Huseynov, Elnur Soltanov

After twenty years of independence and state-building, Azerbaijan must determine the best path of future development.
Lessons Learned From 20 Years of Independence and Statebuilding: Georgia

November 28, 2011 Washington, D.C. Kenneth Yalowitz, Ivlian Haindrava, Ghia Nodia, Shorena Shaverdashvili

Twenty years after the end of the Soviet Union, Georgia can no longer be considered a country “in transition.”
Human Rights and Rule of Law: To What Degree Are Human Rights Respected and the Rule of Law Observed?

November 29, 2011 Washington, D.C. Anthony Richter, Emil Danielyan, Erkin Gadirli, Giorgi Gogia, Hikmet Hadjy-zadeh, Davit Khachaturyan

The governments in the South Caucasus too often fail to recognize that state-building projects cannot be completed without a strong foundation in the rule of law and human rights.
Economic Reform: What Is the Economic Picture, 20 Years After the Transition to a Market Economy

November 29, 2011 Washington, D.C. Ingilab Ahmadov, David Grigorian, Vladimer Papava, Mamuka Tsereteli, Clifford Gaddy

Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia weathered the political and economic turbulence of the early 1990s but have yet to develop fully functional market economies.
The South Caucasus: Independence at Age 20

November 29, 2011 Washington, D.C. Gerard Libaridian, James F. Collins

At the start of their independence the three republics of the South Caucasus faced two choices: they could build a government whose legitimacy was based on the concept of civic statehood or one based on ethnicity and nationalism.
Conflicts, Security, and Insecurity: How Has 20 Years of Unresolved Conflicts Shaped the South Caucasus?

November 29, 2011 Washington, D.C. Margarita Akhvlediani, Archil Gegeshidze, Richard Giragosian, Ilgar Mammadov, Christian Caryl

Since independence, ethno-territorial conflicts have inhibited social, economic, and political development in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.
Foreign Assistance: To What Degree has Western Aid Helped Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia?

November 29, 2011 Washington, D.C. Thomas Carothers, S. MacFarlane, Lincoln Mitchell, Mark Mullen

Western foreign assistance to the South Caucasus has followed an ambitious agenda, with aid aimed at humanitarian aid, political and economic transformation, conflict resolution, and peace building.

About the Carnegie Speakers

Thomas de Waal

Senior Associate
Russia and Eurasia Program

De Waal is a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment, specializing primarily in the South Caucasus region comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia and their breakaway territories as well as the wider Black Sea region.

Source: http://carnegieendowment.org/2011/11/28/south-caucasus-20-years-after-independence/7w29