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This article examines the special features of forming South Caucasian energy transit as a potentially important component of the world market and the European Union's energy security. It shows the specifics of the role of the energy resource export countries and transit states, the special features of Russia's position as both the largest energy resource supplier and a transit country, and the complicated nature of the latter's energy partnership with the EU. It analyzes the situation in the world energy market and the contradictory nature of energy cooperation between Russia and the European Union, which is increasing the EU's interest in creating a South Caucasian energy corridor. It also analyzes Azerbaijan's key importance from the viewpoint of South Caucasian energy transit and the special features of the country's energy cooperation with Turkey, Russia, and Iran. It examines several alternatives for transporting gas from Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan to the European markets and justifies the expediency of choosing implementable and economically lucrative projects.

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This article reveals the mechanism of functioning of the multilateral diplomacy of the Latin American and Caribbean States on the subregional, regional level as well as in the biregional format and analizes the perspectives of the integrational processes in the Western hemisphere in the context of formation of a new world structure of the XXI century.

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With the advent of Soviet power, Islam and Christian Orthodoxy in Kyrgyzstan retreated into the background and lost much of their former influence to the extent that, when the Soviet Union collapsed, the Muslim clergy proved incapable of alleviating the contradictions inside the Muslim community and preventing ethnic clashes. In 1989, the Kyrgyz and Tajiks came to blows over land plots-there are still about 70 disputed plots in the village of Uch-Dobo. In 1990, the Kyrgyz and Uzbeks clashed in the Osh Region in the country's south. In both cases, the official Islamic clergy proved impotent in the face of the dramatic events and were unable to normalize the situation. The Kyrgyz, however, remained devoted to popular Islam and its everyday practices: throughout the Soviet period it was a tool of self-identity and an element of the locals' way of life. The local Muslims continued practicing it on an everyday basis, but on a national clan-dominated scale Islam lost some of its pre-revolutionary importance. State atheism, the policy consistently pursued across the Soviet Union, left a void in the post-Soviet world rapidly filled with all sorts of radical Islamic ideas and new sects and religious (including totalitarian) organizations. The Soviet Union's demise revived religious feelings in all social groups. It was in the early post-Soviet period that the country acquired scores of new mosques and Orthodox churches as well as new religious trends. The Koran was translated into the Kyrgyz and Uzbek languages, while the Bible appeared in Kyrgyz translation. Several bookstores in Bishkek sold Islamic and Christian books; the faithful received two periodicals, the national newspaper Islam madaniaty published in Bishkek and The Muslim, which appeared in Jalal-Abad.

Provides an overview of the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict, beginning with a description of the complicated ethnic composition of the region & tracing the history of tensions through the defeat of the Georgian Army & the secession of Abkhazia. Abkhazia pursued reunion with Russia as well as trying to come to terms with Georgia, whose leadership holds to a policy of rigid unitarism that means thrusting a monoethnic state on a population 30+% ethnic minorities. The impact of any settlement in this conflict has ramifications for other autonomies that Georgia has also lost control of, eg, South Ossetia, indicating that Georgia is at risk of disintegrating. Russia's official position on the conflict centers on the acknowledgment of the inviolability of Georgia's territorial integrity in which Abkhazia should be provided broad political rights. Under Yeltsin, Russia cooperated with Georgia, but that changed when Putin came to power. Western states support Georgia's territorial integrity & have adopted a lopsided pro-Georgian stance. The complete contradiction of opposing interests means little chance of resolving the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict politically; Georgia must drop its policy of unitarism & look to a federation of equal peoples. Russian-Western tensions in the South Caucasus can only lead to further regional instability &, therefore, they should coordinate their regional policies. The resulting stabilization might help end the conflict. J. Zendejas

Die erst unlängst erfolgte Annahme des christlich- orthodoxen Glaubens hatte bei einem nicht unbedeutenden Prozentsatz der abchasischen Bevölkerung nach Ansicht des Autors eher formalen Charakter. Ein Hindernis für die Verwurzelung der orthodoxen Kirche in Abchasien bildet der bislang ungeklärte Status dieser Kirche. Die Verbreitung des Islam stößt gleichfalls auf Hindernisse: die moslemischen Länder distanzieren sich von der nicht anerkannten Republik Abchasien und leisten keine Hilfe. Die katholische Kirche und verschiedene religiöse Sekten zeichnen sich hingegen durch eine rege Aktivität in dieser Region aus. (BIOst-Mrk)