In this book, Thomas de Waal makes the case that the five-day war in Georgia, which flared into a major international crisis in 2008, proves that this is still a combustible region, whose inner dynamics and history deserve a much more complex appreciation from the wider world.

Waal provides this richer, deeper, and much-needed appreciation, one that reveals that the South Caucasus — Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, and their many smaller regions, enclaves, and breakaway entities — is a fascinating and distinct world unto itself. 

The book provides both historical background and an insightful analysis of the period after 1991 and sheds light on how the region has been scarred by the tumultuous scramble for independence.

It delivers a vibrantly written and timely account of this turbulent region, according to a review on goodreads.com.