The world's second largest reserves of petroleum lie beneath the land-locked Caspian Sea, making the Caucasus of vital importance to both regional and global economic and security interests. This book brings together experts from the US, Russia and the Caucasus to examine the issues of conflict, foreign policy tradeoffs, and security in the region. It takes into account the geopolitical factors, Western and Russian involvement, and the interaction between domestic and external pressures. Crossroads and Conflict looks at the challenges faced by these countries and examines the possibilities for future peace and prosperity in the region.