The Ghost of Freedom: A History of the Caucasus

Considering the Caucasus region is one of the most misunderstood (which could just as easily be the delibarate result of bias as the accidental result of how confusing it all really is) places historically, this extensively-reserached book provides the most powerful insights into causes, effects, and what can be done.

Frankly, I found this book well written but on such a complex subject that it was difficult to keep in mind all the ethnic players, their situations, politics, languages and characteristics from page to page. It may be an easy read, but difficult to comprehend. I noticed that none of the other reviewers attampted to offer a brief synopsis of the chapters or contents. I won't either, since I have no idea how to briefly state what the author does in many pages and where everything seems to be in flux. At one time the Muslim Circassians take one side and the Christian Armenians another, then twenty years later everything is reversed. I found the hodge-podge of ethnic enclaves and large number of languages, some very different from the others, various political orientations, attitudes toward slavery (that continued into the 20th century), unique off-shoots of Islam and Christianity that often seem pagan or animistic, fascinating but difficult to grasp in a single book (or in a single course of study.) The Caucasus makes the Balkans seem trivial in comparison. Nonetheless, this work is extremely useful in bringing the reader up to date on the region and giving him an appreciation of its history and complexity. One can readily see that to choose sides is to make enemies, and with states and borders having been very recent inventions, one is cautioned to tread lightly here with one's western ideas and concepts. I was sorry to see that the book does not go back to ancient times as the history of the Armenians and Georgia are particularly fascinating. The Armenians were a substantial power from 260BCE to 72 CE, then again from 1048 to 1375 CE. Tigranes II and later Levon I were powerful rulers and the Armenians have survived until today with their great heritage and history providing a continual source of pride. Georgia produced one of the great warrior queens of history, Queen Tamara, from 1184 to 1212. During that time she brought Georgia to its golden age, and folklore abounds still today in the Caucasus with tales of her prowess. More currently, the genocide inflicted on the Armenians during World War I by the Turks lays heavy on the land and prevents Turko-Armenian reconcillation. The Chechens have defied Moscow since the advent of the Soviet Union, and their resistance today is a factor of everyday life. The Ossetians are in the middle, and look to Russia as their protector. The Azerbaijans tend to look to Iran for guidance. This is not a peaceful or easily governed region. This work is particularly important in light of recent developments where Russia invaded Georgia supposedly to aid the Ossetians. This book is highly recommended to Western readers who desire a relatively quick introduction to the Caucasus in order to understand the issues currently in the news. The reader will also come away with the realization that issues in the Caucasus are not likely to be simple or what they are said to be

The Ghost of Freedom provides the same accessibility combined with academic rigor that King delivered with his History of the Black Sea. Useful for the student of the region as well as an uninitiated reader seeking an intrduction, the Ghost of Freedom is both readable and scholarly. For the reader who is looking to "catch up" on the historical events that shaped the volatile and strategically significant region that is the Caucasus today, this is the ideal book. Standing at a geostrategic and economic crossroads, the Caucasus is a region that anyone who is academically or professionally concerned with geostrategy in Europe, Asia, or the Middle East simply cannot ignore, and King's work represents a brilliant and relevant survey.

The author describes the past three centuries of the Caucasus, making sense of the bewildering patchwork of regions, ethnic areas, languages, and countries. The region was known in the 19th century as a mysterious and somewht lawless area attracting adventurers and vacationers, then became famous for beautiful women, then genocide of Armenians, and now the Russian-Chechnian conflict. The author has spent much time in the area and is on firm footing when describing recent events. There is not much about pre-18th century history, however, which is a shame because some of it is fascinating.

The Ghost of Freedom is a much needed book about a little known region. It's ideal as an introduction to the Caucasus for the general reader who doesn't know a lot about the area. One minor complaint is I wish the author had included more history of the Caucasus before the Russian conquest of the early 19th century. It seems all books about the region take that event as their starting point. But that's a minor quibble. All in all a very informative book.