New Wars and Old Plagues : Armed Conflict, Environmental Change and Resurgent Malaria in the Southern Caucasus

This Open Access book uses Mary Kaldor's concept of "New Wars" to explore how ethnic conflict reshaped the social and environmental landscape of the Southern Caucuses following the collapse of the Soviet Union. It relies on remote sensing data and qualitative historical research to explore how armed conflict between non-state actors generated the region's largest epidemic of P. vivax malaria since the 1960s. This book is an important addition to the literature on the Karabakh conflict and conflict studies more broadly because the infectious disease outbreaks associated with warfare often kill more people than the armed conflicts themselves. Warfare itself has also changed dramatically since the collapse of the USSR, and the Karabakh conflict provides an excellent case study of the way "New Wars" transform the natural and social environment to facilitate outbreaks of preventable disease. This extended case study will be useful to researchers from a variety of academic disciplines, including medical anthropology, geography, conflict studies, disease ecology, global health and public health. It also reveals the fragility of twentieth century malaria control in temperate regions and will assist in predictive modeling for future outbreaks. Acknowledgments About the Book Contents About the Authors Abbreviations List of Figures Chapter 1: Introduction References Chapter 2: History and Ecology of Malaria in the Caucasus 2.1 The Caucasus 2.2 Malaria in the Caucasus 2.3 Early Public Health Work in the Caucasus 2.4 The Caucasus: Ethnicity and Health in the Soviet Era 2.5 Late Soviet Political Economy: Setting the Stage for Conflict References Chapter 3: The Karabakh Conflict, 1988–1994 3.1 Ethnicity and Nationalism 3.2 Early Phase Conflict, 1988–1990 3.3 Soviet Collapse and Nation-State Warfare, 1991–1994 References Chapter 4: Rebordering, Forced Migration and Population Health Crises, 1988–1994 4.1 Rebordering and Forced Migration 4.2 Forced Migration and Population Health Crises 4.3 Resurgent Malaria and Environmental Change References Chapter 5: Long-Term Conflict and Environmental Change 5.1 Resurgent Conflict and Rebordering, 2020 5.2 Long-Term Conflict and Environmental Change 5.3 Topographic Analysis 5.4 Cropland Abandonment 5.5 Forest Disturbance References Chapter 6: Conclusions References Appendix A: Research And Research Methods Archival Research Site Visits to Armenia Spatial Data and Analysis Regional Borders and Geography Conflict Region Conflict Sites UNHCR Refugee and IDP Settlement Camps Irrigated Cropland Estimates Census Data and Human Mobility Malaria Integration of Qualitative Research with Remote Sensing Data References Appendix B: Historical Chronology of the Conflict Pre Soviet Era, 1915–1921 Soviet Era 1921–1990 Late Soviet Period, 1987–1990 Post-Soviet Era, 1992–Present Index The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.