ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book considers the danger of committing large, specially equipped troops to one place, as in Tajikistan, when stability in the Russian Federation itself is open to challenge, particularly in the Northern Caucasus. It shows that a consensus is evolving on the question of the involvement of international organisations: that Russia should not accept any foreign player in what is called Russia's sphere of interest. The book discusses the North Atlantic Co-operation Council (NACC) and the Partnership for Peace (PFP) and their potential in future peacekeeping in Eurasia. NACC was presented as an organisation with great potential, while the PFP was treated with great suspicion. NACC would be the coordinator of peacekeeping in close co-operation with the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE). A CSCE Security Council was proposed with ten members, half of them on a permanent basis.
