‍Central Asia and The Caucasus Journal

Abstract Public diplomacy has always been an important tool in the foreign policy of the Russian Federation, before and after the collapse of the Soviet Union. From the beginning of its establishment in the 1920s, and with the aim of interacting and influencing the peoples of other countries, the Socialist Soviet Union pursued public diplomacy in parallel with official diplomacy. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation sought to reform and create new structures to revive its public diplomacy. Considering the fact that New Russia's strategies in public diplomacy and digital diplomacy are more broader and diverse than the Soviet era’s, the authors examine the question of what are the prominent features of the Soviet Union and the new Russia’s public diplomacy. The present article hypothesizes that Soviet public diplomacy was largely world-centered and ideological, while the approach of modern Russia has been more cultural and Russian-oriented. From the 1917 to 1990, the Soviet Union was a major player in the application of public diplomacy in the world arena, especially in the nations under its political axis. But after its collapse, Russia's main focus has been on its cultural-historical geography to advance public diplomacy and digital diplomacy. This article tries to analyze the question of the article in the framework of theoretical discourse of public diplomacy by using descriptive-analytical method.

Abstract a      The link between water, energy and food has become a common concept in environmental change research and policy discussions, which, by identifying the optimal policy combinations and governance arrangements in the water, energy and food sectors, promotes coherence in practiced policies. On the other hand, border disputes over water resources, along with the inequitable distribution of water resources in the Central Asian region, have led to the emergence of serious disputes in the relations between the countries of this region. In fact, geography can be considered the most important factor in creating disputes in the field of water. According to this, The question of the article is how to analyze the hydropolitics of extraterritorial waters in the Central Asian region from the perspective of Nexus approach? The paper hypothesizes that the water-food-energy Nexus Approach, as a holistic approach in the Central Asian region, is a new and effective approach to the depoliticization of the extraterritorial waters issue. This approach, instead of focusing on each sector (water, food or energy) separately and on each country of the region, can holistically address the governance of the interactions between sectors and policies in all countries of the Aral Sea Basin and prevent partiality and the challenges arising from the reductionism attitude in this region. The research method is explanatory-analytical and data and information have been collected in the form of library documents using resources and articles available in cyberspace and scientific reports.

Abstract a           Islam, as the second religion of Russia and Muslims as an integral part of the country's demography, is a sensitive issue in Russia's domestic and foreign policy. Russian Muslims, who during the Soviet era and under the influence of the ideology of the communist system were strictly isolated and faced with the challenge of identity, after the collapse of the Soviet Union and within the framework of the new political system, sought to revive religious identity. Meanwhile, the Russian central government , fearing that Muslims would identify with the extremist Islamic Salafis, sought to limit the activities of radical Islamists and encourage moderate Muslims. This issue was followed with more concern and sensitivity with the developments occurring in the Middle East after 9/11 and the strengthening of Salafi currents such as ISIS and the tendency of some Russian Muslims to these groups. In this context, this article tries to address the main question: what factors affect the position and role of Muslims in the Russian Federation? The findings of this descriptive-analytical study show that the challenge of identity among Russian Muslims and their political, social and economic situation, the central government's historical subjectivism of religious identity, the influence of fundamentalism, terrorism and separatism and political instability in Russian Muslim regions and Islamophobia play a major role in determining the position and role of Muslims in the Russian Federation. 

Abstract Integrated water and basin management has been used since the 1970s to resolve the challenges posed by water scarcity and has become a global requirement, specifically after the presentation of Agenda 21 at the January 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Integrated water and basin resource management is one of the optimal methods of water allocation within countries and, and at the same time, one of the global solutions for controlling the water crisis and preventing water disputes in common water basins. One of these important water basins is Aras-Kor, which flows through  five coastal countries: Turkey, Georgia, the Republic of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Iran in the geopolitical region of the South Caucasus.The question now is How much the coastal countries of the Aras-Kor basin have used integrated water and basin management?
The hypothesis of this paper is that despite the efforts and measures taken, the water programs of the coastal countries of Aras-Kor Basin are still far from the principles and criteria of integrated water resources management, especially for the basins. In this article, a descriptive-analytical and library method has been used to examine the extent to which the coastal countries of the Kor-Aras Basin adhere to the principles and criteria of integrated water and basins resources management.

Abstract Energy security in China's macro-policy ensures the continuation of economic growth and the promotion of China’s position in the international system, so that ensuring energy supply not being disrupted is an inviolable principle in the pursuit of China's national interests. . In such a situation, China, as one of the largest energy consuming countries in the world, has employed, in the light of the Silk Road initiative and for the insurance of its energy security, various methods such as massive investments in the exploration and extraction of oil and gas fields and strengthening energy infrastructure to improve productivity and expand participation in oil and gas projects in Central Asia. In this regard, the main purpose of this article is to examine the goals of the Silk Road Initiative in the field of energy in the Central Asian region. Given this goal, the main question of the article is what goals does China pursue in Central Asia through the Silk Road Energy Initiative? In response to this hypothesis, China seeks to secure its energy through long-term contracts with and investments in Central Asian countries through the implementation of the Silk Road initiative. The findings of the present study show that China, in the form of the Silk Road belt, by investing and concluding long-term energy contracts in the Central Asian region, while strengthening its presence and growing influence in the region, has ensured its energy security and economic development and has found a reliable strategic position for itself regarding the Middle East oil resources. The research method of this article is descriptive-analytical.

Abstract       Continuous monitoring of the daily lives of citizens is one of the fundamental propositions of bio-theory. On a broader scale, continued security controls and strict oversight over neighboring countries are also enforced by countries that have some form of historical-civilization conflict with their neighbors. Russia, as one of the historical and political axes of Central Asia, has adopted different foreign policies than what is called the near abroad. However, the fundamental element that is most prominent in Russian foreign policy in its peripheral environment seems to be its overarching security approach and its imposition of regional hegemony. In this regard, the present study has investigated the foreign policy of Russia in the South Caucasus by using descriptive-analytical method and by using the theories of bio-political theory. The results show that Russian foreign policy lacks hegemonic burdens despite multiple layers of persistent flexibility. This lack is due to divergent histories, cultures and ideologies that exist in the region, and Russia has always tried to suppress them by maintaining its superior military doctrine. Russia's military doctrine, however, has been able to maintain its hardware hegemony over the South Caucasus, and the three countries Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia inevitably pursue a policy of alignment and alignment with Russia because of structural deficiencies.