The Future of the North Caucasus

Thursday, September 14, 2006

8:30 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.

Location: The Root Room (2nd Floor)

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

1779 Massachusetts Ave., NW

Washington, DC

Situated on Russia’s southern frontier, the North Caucasus is a volatile tinderbox of ethnic tension and Islamic separatist movements. For nearly ten years, Chechnya was the centerpiece of regional instability, but the conflict has increasingly spilled over into neighboring republics comprising the North Caucasus. With only 5.5 million people, the region’s sparse population does not pose a demographic challenge to Russia. Militarily, however, the North Caucasus continues to preoccupy Moscow’s power ministries and absorb significant amounts of Russian manpower. The recent shift in dynamics with the deaths of Chechen President Abdul-Khalim Sadulaev and Chechen military commander Shamil Basaev have made the future of the North Caucasus even more unclear.

In this major conference hosted by The Jamestown Foundation, leading experts from around the world will gather to discuss the future of this important region, and the implications it has for stability along Russia’s southern tier.

The keynote speaker at the conference will be Mr. Paul Goble, the vice dean for social sciences and humanities at Audentes University, Tallinn who will speak on "The Future of the North Caucasus." A selection of speakers featured at this event include: Dr. Pavel Baev, Norwegian Peace Research Institute; Dr. John B. Dunlop, Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution; Marie Bennigsen, Specialist, the North Caucasus; Andrei Smirnov, North Caucasus Correspondent, Jamestown Foundation; Mikhail Roshchin, Senior Research Analyst, Institute of Oriental Studies, Russia Academy of Sciences; Dr. Andrew McGregor, Director, Aberfoyle International Security Analysis; Dr. Moshe Gammer, Senior Lecturer, Department of Middle Eastern and African History, Tel Aviv University; Murad Batal al-Shishani, Specialist, Islamist Movements in the North Caucasus. RSVP by 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 13, 2006 rsvp@jamestown.org

Directions:

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace The Root Room (2nd Floor) 1779 Massachusetts Ave., NW Washington, DC