Two decades ago, the Soviet Union was dissolved by a group of people in Belarus. Azerbaijan had declared independence several months earlier, but even today, the ties with Russia are important to many Azeris. In fact, they hold very powerful memories of the time period Azerbaijan spent as a member of the USSR. Many yearn for the days when employment was higher, and life was better.
An expert on the region, Thomas de Waal, who wrote a strong book on the topic of the conflict that has frozen Azerbaijan's politics for a number of years (in fact since before the fall of the Soviet Union), has recently weighed in on the progress the Caucasus countries have made in these past twenty years. It has not been an easy twenty years, but progress has been made in some ways, and setbacks have come in other areas.
Here's Thomas de Waal's article:
http://carnegieendowment.org/2011/11/27/south-caucasus-almost-grown-up-at-20/7tqy
In another interview, he also makes a wonderful analysis of The Butter Battle Book, by Dr Seuss, comparing it to the Caucasian conflict. It's on page 2 of the link.
http://thebrowser.com/interviews/thomas-de-waal-on-conflict-caucasus?page=1
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