ABSTRACT
The most direct consequence of the dissolution of the Soviet Union for the Caucasus was the achievement of independence for the three South Caucasian states of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Much as had been the case in 1918, the Caucasian states were set free of Russian control because of Russia’s more pressing domestic problems and issues. In 1918, the Bolshevik Revolution needed to be consolidated before the new leadership could embark on a reconquest of the territories ruled by tsarist Russia; in 1991, the new liberal democratic Russia needed to be built and consolidated, necessitating a loosening of the grip on the peripheries. At both occasions, Moscow recognized the independent Transcaucasian states of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, and for a short period did not have any outright or direct ambitions on them.
