This book uses eyewitness accounts and historical records to provide a picture of the turbulent years immediately following perestroika and the independence of the Caucasian nations during the early nineties. The Caucasus has been known in recent years as a source of intense conflict and strategic manoeuvring on the part of the superpowers. It has also become the gateway for the rest of the world to the economic boom of Central Asia's immense gas and oil reserves. In this volume, itemsincluding international diplomatic and (oil) business schemes, refugees left to their fate, terrorism, political fanaticism, drugs-related crime, the Mafia and other side-effects of the armed conflicts are stripped of their myths and presented according to their true impact.