The ghost of freedom : a history of the Caucasus / Charles King.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 251-275) and index.

Introduction: Nature's Bulwark -- 1. Empires and Boundaries -- Imperial Dreams -- Kings and Khans -- Life on the Line -- "Ermolov Comes!" -- Captives -- 2. Rule and Resistance -- The Murid Way -- Raiding and Retribution -- The Imam and the Viceroy -- "The Tribes that Remain" -- 3. The Imaginary Caucasus -- Inventing the Highlander -- Prisoners, Superfluous Men, and Mopingers -- Convoy to Tiflis -- "There Is Something to Be Gained on the Heights" -- Eros and the Circassian -- 4. Nations and Revolutions -- Bazaar and Boomtown -- The Uses of War -- Phantom Republics -- Exiles -- Cleansing -- 5. Time of Troubles -- Brothers and Rivals -- Land and Struggle -- Whose Nations? Whose States? -- The Tragic North -- Conclusion: Continental Shift.

"The Caucasus mountains rise at the intersection of Europe, Russia, and the Middle East. A land of astonishing natural beauty and a dizzying array of ancient cultures, the Caucasus for most of the twentieth century lay inside the Soviet Union, before movements of national liberation created newly independent countries and sparked the devastating war in Chechnya." "The Ghost Of Freedom is the first general history of the modern Caucasus, stretching from the beginning of Russian imperial expansion up to rise of new countries after the Soviet Union's collapse. Charles King reveals how tsars, highlanders, revolutionaries, and adventurers have contributed to the fascinating history of this borderland, providing a guide to the complicated histories, politics, and cultures of this intriguing frontier. Based on new research in multiple languages, the book shows how the struggle for freedom in the mountains, hills, and plains of the Caucasus has been a perennial theme over the last two hundred years - a struggle which has led to liberation as well as to new forms of captivity. The book sheds valuable light on the origins of modern disputes, including the ongoing war in Chechnya, conflicts in Georgia and Azerbaijan, and debates over oil from the Caspian Sea and its impact on world markets."--BOOK JACKET.