FREDERIC LABARRE, PhD | Royal Military College of Canada (original) (raw)

Books by FREDERIC LABARRE, PhD

Does the EU need a Strategy in the South Caucasus, 2024

With Georgia being an official EU candidate since December 2023, Armenia voicing its interest in ... more With Georgia being an official EU candidate since December 2023,
Armenia voicing its interest in deepening relations with the EU and
Azerbaijan being open for pragmatic relations short of further EU
enlargement in the South Caucasus, future policy decisions taken
in Brussels will not only manifest their effects in bilateral relations
with the three South Caucasus republics but in the region as a
whole. The contributions in this volume evaluate the EU’s role in the
South Caucasus integrative processes and its traditional soft power
approach, with an additional closer look at other external actors
active in the region.

Study Group Information, 2024

The year 2023 has been a ferment of activity for the South Caucasus. Georgia received EU candidat... more The year 2023 has been a ferment of activity for the South Caucasus.
Georgia received EU candidate status, but without any security
guarantees. In September, Azerbaijan’s military actions shattered
the chance for any Armenian-led autonomy for Nagorno-Karabakh.
This was met with broad silence from the international community.
It was therefore necessary that experts come together to discuss
“alternative security arrangements” in the broadest terms possible,
taking into consideration the impact of polarization on the shaping
of security arrangements. The speakers’ contributions analyse the
current political situation in the South Caucasus and give an outlook
on possible steps towards lasting peace in the region.

Study Group Information Booklet , 2023

These are the proceedings of the 25th workshop of the Regional Stability in the South Caucasus St... more These are the proceedings of the 25th workshop of the Regional Stability in the South Caucasus Study Group, which was held in Tbilisi, Georgia, 30 March - 2 April 2023.

RSSC SG SGI 24, 2023

This Study Group Information booklet gathered the papers and policy recommendations from the 24th... more This Study Group Information booklet gathered the papers and policy recommendations from the 24th workshop of the PfP Consortium Study Group on Regional Stability in the South Caucasus (RSSC SG), held in
Reichenau/Rax (Austria), on 03–06 November 2022. This workshop addressed “After 24 February 2022: Imagining South Caucasus Security”.
February 24, 2022, will remain a landmark in European history: it is the date when Russian troops massively marched over the Ukrainian borders thereby crashing the basic principles of the OSCE-based security system. NATO and the EU have strongly reacted against the Russian war in Ukraine. More specifically, the EU has started to implement rounds of sanctions against Russia, and granted candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova, while conditionally promising a similar status to Georgia.
Experts have long ago warned that the largest geopolitical risk stemming
from the new pattern of “balance of power” conflict management in the
South Caucasus was that the unresolved conflicts might end up entangled
with the ongoing Russia-West geopolitical confrontation. Indeed, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, and the ensuing Russia-West hybrid and economic wars, threatened the current geopolitical structure and arrangements in the South Caucasus, possibly leading into inherent geopolitical choices of the regional states; cancelled the prospects for cohabitation of the European and the Eurasian integration processes; and started to create geopolitical roadblocks to regional cooperation and infrastructure connectivity.
In response, the RSSC SG deployed all its resources and efforts in attempting through its humble means avoiding a further East European conflagration.
Now that the geopolitical collision which had been feared has come to pass, the Study Group turned its attention to what type of future, and what type of security would benefit the South Caucasus. For the first time in many years, this workshop considered also points of view which were not strictly geographic from the South Caucasus, but encompassed Ukraine and Republic of Moldova.

Handbook, 2022

This edited volume reconciles problems of media, democratization, radicalization and securitizati... more This edited volume reconciles problems of media, democratization, radicalization and securitization across the dimensions of theory, practice, remedies and case study approaches. It is intended for use in media studies, politics, international relations, marketing, war studies and peace studies.

RSSC SG SGI 23, 2022

This is the Study Group Information booklet of the 23rd Regional Stability in the South Caucasus ... more This is the Study Group Information booklet of the 23rd Regional Stability in the South Caucasus Study Group workshop, which was held in Naples, Italy. It deals with the hopeful prospect of regional commercial and infrastructural integration, and, separately, with the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh peacekeeping in the context of the Russian aggression on Ukraine

Stability Risks and New Conflict Management Platforms in the South Caucasus, 2022

This document is a collection of papers presented at the 21st Regional Stability in the South Cau... more This document is a collection of papers presented at the 21st Regional Stability in the South Caucasus Study Group workshop, in Rome, Italy, in September 2021

RSSC SG SGI 20 , 2020

This is the Study Group Information booklet of the 20th Regional Stability in the South Caucasus ... more This is the Study Group Information booklet of the 20th Regional Stability in the South Caucasus Study Group (RSSC SG). It gives practical examples of step-by-step and constructive approaches to address relations between South Caucasus countries and territories with unresolved status issues.

Study Group Information, 2019

This Study Group Information booklet represents the proceedings of the 18th RSSC SG workshop, hel... more This Study Group Information booklet represents the proceedings of the 18th RSSC SG workshop, held in Reichenau, in November 2018. The purpose of the workshop was to take stock of the many changes witnessed in the South Caucasus over the previous year and a half; the elections in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, and Georgia, the Velvet Revolution in Armenia, manifestations in breakaway regions, the resignation of the Georgian Prime Minister after the police had abused its powers, manifestations in Georgia, and the peace overtures towards Abkhazia.

Study Group Information , 2018

These are the proceedings and papers presented at the 17th Regional Stability in the South Caucas... more These are the proceedings and papers presented at the 17th Regional Stability in the South Caucasus Study Group workshop, held in Minsk, Belarus in April 2018. The overarching theme is the creation of a new pan-European security architecture to avoid NATO-Russia clashes, but also persisting clashes at the periphery of NATO and Russia, especially in the South Caucasus.

This is the proceedings of the Regional Stability in the South Caucasus Study Group workshop that... more This is the proceedings of the Regional Stability in the South Caucasus Study Group workshop that took place in Reichenau, Austria, 9-11 November 2017. It focuses on problems of media bias, information operations, psychological operations, etc. The aim of the workshop was to determine whether biasing news content was acceptable to build peaceful relations.

The 15 th RSSC SG publication focuses on Defence Institution Building (DIB) in the South Caucasus... more The 15 th RSSC SG publication focuses on Defence Institution Building (DIB) in the South Caucasus. This publication offers insights into the aims of DIB, suggests possible implementation strategies and networking opportunities between countries in the region and gives concrete examples of challenges connected to DIB, such as the possibility of an emerging arms race. The DIB policies of Armenia, the Ukraine and Georgia are discussed in more detail. In addition, the Defence Education Enhancement Programme (DEEP) is presented and the importance of education in the defence sector discussed.

Study Group Information, 2017

It took a while, but here it is, the Study Group Information Booklet of the proceedings for the 1... more It took a while, but here it is, the Study Group Information Booklet of the proceedings for the 14th Regional Stability in the South Caucasus Study Group. This one is rather thin (naughty participants didn't turn in their papers), but is still interesting, especially in relation to SGI RSSC SG 15, also uploaded today.

This is the proceedings to the 12th Workshop of the Regional Stability in the South Caucasus Stud... more This is the proceedings to the 12th Workshop of the Regional Stability in the South Caucasus Study Group, co-sponsored by the PfP Consortium (www.pfp-consortium.org) and the Austrian Ministry of Defence and Sports (www.bmlvs.gv.at). Its content analyses the media market in the South Caucasus and tries to find ways to shape public narratives through the media to facilitate an exit from frozen conflicts.

This paper was delivered by Raphael F. Perl at the Sofia Security Forum in 2015. It challenges wh... more This paper was delivered by Raphael F. Perl at the Sofia Security Forum in 2015. It challenges whether the difficulties faced by the Euro-Atlantic community against Russia or ISIS require a strategic re-think.

This is the Study Group Information booklet (the proceedings) of the 11th Regional Stability in t... more This is the Study Group Information booklet (the proceedings) of the 11th Regional Stability in the South Caucasus SG, held in Kiev, in March 2015. It speaks of historical experience in disputant populations' acceptance of the change of status of a region over time.

This Study Group Information Booklet represents the proceedings of the 9th workshop of the Study ... more This Study Group Information Booklet represents the proceedings of the 9th workshop of the Study Group Regional Stability in the South Caucasus, and deals indirectly with the problem of non-use of force by the parties in conflict. It addresses the right to self-defence as enshrined in the UN Charter, and also as a concept of political science pertaining to national sovereignty, and makes the link with the potential of arms control and disarmament to reduce tensions and build trust.

This paper considers the strategic context in which international missions are developing in the ... more This paper considers the strategic context in which international missions are developing in the first decade of the twenty first century. It reflects on the debates of the changing nature of war and conflict that have been spurred, first by the end of the Cold War, second by the impact of September 11, 2001 and, third, the ways in which ongoing developments in Iraq and Afghanistan are affecting military and civilian debates on how such missions should be entered into -if at all -how they should be conducted, and when and how they should be concluded. Throughout, the principal thematic question is: with what forms of violence do western armed services and the actors (military and non-military) with which they have to co-operate, need to contend; and what will be the likely effects on their organisations and the societies from which they are drawn?

This book is the proceedings of the 8th RSSC SG workshop, held November 2013. It discusses altern... more This book is the proceedings of the 8th RSSC SG workshop, held November 2013. It discusses alternative models of statehood, sovereignty definition, including federalism, applicable in the South Caucasus.

Does the EU need a Strategy in the South Caucasus, 2024

Study Group Information, 2024

Study Group Information Booklet , 2023

RSSC SG SGI 24, 2023

Handbook, 2022

RSSC SG SGI 23, 2022

Stability Risks and New Conflict Management Platforms in the South Caucasus, 2022

RSSC SG SGI 20 , 2020

Study Group Information, 2019

Study Group Information , 2018

Study Group Information, 2017

Journal of International Analytics

Mezhdunarodnaya Analytika/Journal of International Analytics, 2020

In international relations, the last three decades have been marked by national and institutional... more In international relations, the last three decades have been marked by national and institutional fragmentation. The fate of Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union, and the regrettable way that events played out (especially in the former case), could befall other federative entities as well. Canada and Belgium come to mind, as do countries like Spain, all of which eff ectively function as federations. However, while federations usually have dispute settlement and mechanisms for secession embedded in their constitutions, sub-constitutive territories are often excluded from such considerations. What territories such as Kosovo, Sandjak, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, etc. have in common is that they share a desire for independence from their parent country. However, achieving independence would present risks to the territorial integrity of other countries (what can be termed the domino principle), as well as risks to the endurance of fl exible international law. The cases we have alluded to above culminated in the Crimean crisis. The problems between Estonia and the Russian Federation stem from the choice of precedent and founding text on which to base the former’s renewed independence. While Estonia was founded on the basis of the 1920 Tartu Peace Treaty that put an end to the country’s War of Independence, its experience as a Soviet Republic added another legislative fi lter in the form of the 1977 Constitution of the Soviet Union. However, the principle of uti possidetis had evolved to apply to more than cases of colonialism. Thus, when Estonia seceded from the USSR with the borders it had been since 1945, it was doing so under the principle of uti possidetis. The current dispute stems from the fact that the Estonian political elite seek to have the 1920 Tartu Peace Treaty recognized as the foundational document for the country’s renewed independence. Under the Treaty, Estonian sovereignty applied over a much larger territory. By insisting that any new border arrangement with Russia be based on that Treaty, Estonia is invalidating the principle of uti possidetis and the validity of the Constitution of the Soviet Union as a vehicle for independence. It implies a latent Article 5 situation between NATO and Russia, and threatens the legitimacy of other post-Soviet secessions.

Countering Radicalism in the North Caucasus, 2018

This article is an abridged version of the proceedings of the PfP Consortium's Conflict Studies W... more This article is an abridged version of the proceedings of the PfP Consortium's Conflict Studies Working Group (CSWG) workshop which took place in Berlin, 7-9 November 2016. The workshop, entitled "Coun-tering Radical Islamism in the North Caucasus" welcomed representatives of Germany, Poland, Romania, Russia, including of course the North Cau-casus. It was organized by the PfP Consortium at the behest of Ivan A. Ba-bin, director of the Center for Scientific and Social Innovation (Stavropol, Russia) and Baron Udo von Massenbach, president of the German-Ameri-can Business Association. Carmen Rijnoveanu presided the conference. The workshop's aim was to highlight the gravity of Islamic radicalization in the North Caucasus, and treat it as a symptom of wider geopolitical and social upheavals worldwide. In putting the accent on the scope of the challenge , our Russian guests were also stressing that the successful defeat of movements like DAESH requires East-West cooperation. This cooperation should help open dialogue between the great powers in our Ukraine and Syria-fueled "Cold War." Urgency and cooperation are some of the themes that motivate each presentation in the workshop. This paper has collected presentations that were representative of its intent. They are presented here translated and edited, with the understanding that the opinions they represent are those of the authors only, and in no way reflect that of any government or organization. Each piece is identified by its proponent, and all the pieces are interspersed with short commentaries designed to bring unity to the whole document.

Journal of Borderlands Studies, 2015

ABSTRACT This article analyzes the status of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, as a result of the Augus... more ABSTRACT This article analyzes the status of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, as a result of the August war of 2008 between Russia and Georgia. We hypothesize that a new form of political entity is being shaped. This political creation is a laboratory of human and political geography. It remains a borderland, but which is neither prohibitive nor permissive; it is a “settlement fringe,” qualified by integration or abandonment. The first part of this paper discusses “settlement fringes” to extract its defining features in the 21st century. In the second part, we discuss the perceptions, intentions and policies of the central actors towards their periphery, because the role of the State and of its political elite is central in the creation of a settlement fringe. This role tends to establish influence through the creation of supporting infrastructure, so investment in peripheral regions by Russia and Georgia is a critical indicator. The third section will focus on the situation on the ground in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Cooperative practice between the unilaterally-declared independent republics and Georgia, despite continuing tension between the latter and Russia, is taken as an indicator that the Caucasus is shaping up to be a borderland which is neither prohibitive nor permissive, neither integrated nor completely subjected to the pull of Russia, and this, in spite of Europe's relative disinterest.

in Annie JAFALIAN (dir.), Reassessing Security in the South Caucasus, Londres : Ashgate, 2011, pp... more in Annie JAFALIAN (dir.), Reassessing Security in the South Caucasus, Londres : Ashgate, 2011, pp. 157-176.

Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 08865655 2015 1012730, Apr 2, 2015

Connections the Quarterly Journal, 2014

Resolution 1244 adopted by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in 1999 was conceived as an... more Resolution 1244 adopted by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in 1999 was conceived as an interim settlement to allow conflict de-escalation while postponing the search for a lasting solution to the Kosovo crisis. The final settlement should have been negotiated between Serbian authorities and representatives of the Kosovo Albanians and then endorsed by the UNSC, as stipulated in the resolution. However, Kosovo Albanians declared independence unilaterally in February 2008 and Kosovo was recognized as such by the United States and its allies. The Kosovo Albanians promptly abandoned the peace process.

Connections: The Quarterly Journal, 2002

A year ago, Thomas L. Friedman published an already-famous article in which he claimed that democ... more A year ago, Thomas L. Friedman published an already-famous article in which he claimed that democracy was sprouting tentatively in the ethnically pure states of the former Yugoslavia, whereas in multi-ethnic Bosnia, democratic development was farther from the goal set by the Dayton Accords than ever. Mr. Friedman's thesis is that Dayton's provisions should be abandoned, Bosnians (whatever their constituency) should decide for themselves where they want to live, and then let democracy take hold after the populations have "parted." Only this, Friedman feels, can help Bosnians to think beyond tribal interests, concluding that it is "not an accident McDonald's still refuses to operate [there]." 2 These calls to abdicate any responsibility for promoting the ideal of multiethnic coexistence as framed by the Dayton Peace Accords (DPA) are not infrequent. The International Crisis Group pointed out in its December 2000 report that elections were only helping to dig deeper divisions between communities by allowing extremists to perpetuate their strangle hold on power. 3 The ICG believes that it is time to rethink the DPA's strategy of elections as a means of speeding up democratic development and allowing a NATO pullout. It advocates that the international community take all the measures allowed by the Dayton Accords to enforce compliance by the parties, instead of putting its faith blindly in a democratic ethos that is simply not emerging. Implicit in this assessment is the notion that, since the implementation of Dayton seems too difficult, its usefulness comes into question as a matter of consequence. By extension, amendment of the DPA or its eradication would nullify the possibility of multi-ethnicity. The ICG's position is tantamount to revisionism. These positions are similar, but there are nuances. Mr. Friedman would have the international community preside over a more or less formal "population exchange" that would see Croatia and Serbia inherit a form of "sphere of influence" over their respective populations in Bosnia, while NATO would take on the spon-1

Connections: The Quarterly Journal, 2010

Connections: The Quarterly Journal, 2003

Connections: The Quarterly Journal, 2007

Connections: The Quarterly Journal, 2008

This paper looks at the impact of the civilizational tug-of-war between Russia and the West on Ge... more This paper looks at the impact of the civilizational tug-of-war between Russia and the West on Georgia, and how the break-up of this country is a manifestation of Russia's "power of attraction" on the un-recognized regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

PfPC/RSSC Study Group Information, Band 2, 2021

This Study Group Information (SGI) mini-booklet reflects a few special contributions to the exten... more This Study Group Information (SGI) mini-booklet reflects a few special contributions to the extended list of Policy Recommendations which have been submitted in the aftermath of the 2nd Virtual Roundtable of the Re-gional Stability in the South Caucasus Study Group (RSSC SG) of the PfP Consortium of Defense Academies and Security Studies Institutes on “What Future for Nagorno-Karabakh in the Wake of the 2020 Six-Weeks War? – Consequences for Conflict Settlement in the South Caucasus Region”, held on 4th December 2020. A copy of the ensuing Policy Recommendations drawn up from the debates and agreed by workshop participants was also added at the end of this mini-booklet.
On November 10th, 2020 the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia signed a Trilateral Statement providing for a ceasefire and a set of guidelines for a future peace deal. However, this Statement is far away from a peace plan. It left open key issues, such as: the final status; the future role of the OSCE Minsk Group and of other international actors, the conditions for the return of the refugees and IDP’s, and how the growing mistrust and conflict-driven animosities between the two communities would be overcome. This booklet aims to help filling in the gaps in the Trilateral Statement and paving the way towards peaceful conflict resolution.

Virtual SGI #2, 2021

This is the Study Group Information booklet of the 2nd Virtual Workshop (Extraordinary) held 4 De... more This is the Study Group Information booklet of the 2nd Virtual Workshop (Extraordinary) held 4 December 2020, in the wake of the 44-Day war over Nagorno-Karabakh. It reunites visions from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, as well as expert points of views from Europe and North America. This publication includes detailed policy recommendations which have been communicated to the conflicting parties, and international governmental organizations dealing with the region.

PhD Dissertation, 2024

Thèse soumise à la Division des Études supérieures du Collège militaire royal du Canada par Frédé... more Thèse soumise à la Division des Études supérieures du Collège militaire royal du Canada par Frédéric Labarre, MA en vue de l'obtention du diplôme de docteur ès philosophie en Études de la Guerre Avril 2024 © La présente thèse peut être utilisée au Ministère de la Défense nationale du Canada, mais l'auteur conserve les droits de publication dans les deux langues officielles.