Commentary
Thomas de Waal
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Source: Getty
Other
Conflict in Eurasia
The failure of the international community to recognize the Caucasus and Central Asia as a region with complex internal dynamics complicates efforts to respond to global challenges ranging from energy security and arms proliferation to humanitarian crises.
Published on Feb 3, 2011
Source: Eurasia Foundation
While the international community believes that long-standing conflicts in the Caucasus and Central Asia are under control, these disputes are far more fragile than they look, warned Thomas de Waal at a panel discussion hosted by Eurasia Foundation. De Waal joined Fiona Hill of Brookings Institution and the Washington Post’s David Ignatius in an examination of the strategic importance of the Caucasus and Central Asia in the major international challenges currently faced by the United States. “These conflicts aren’t frozen. I prefer the term simmering conflicts, or smoldering conflicts,” de Waal said. “There’s a lot going on under the surface here.”
De Waal and Hill agreed that the international community can play a real role in helping resolve these conflicts. “Let the negotiators and the diplomats talk to civil society, talk to the small constituency of peace and try to cultivate it…bypassing the authorities, if the authorities are not willing,” de Waal said.
About the Author
Thomas de Waal
Senior Fellow, Carnegie Europe
De Waal is a senior fellow at Carnegie Europe, specializing in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus.
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