HOOMAN PEIMANI is an independent consultant with international organizations in Geneva, Switzerland, and does research in international relations. His writing centers on the Persian Gulf, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. Apart from journal and newspaper articles, Dr. Peimani's recent publicaitons include Failed Transition, Bleak Future: War and Instability in Central Asia and the Caucasus (Praeger, 2002) and The Caspian Pipeline Dilemma: Political Games and Economic Losses (Praeger, 2001).