IN THE CAUCASUS….

Several months ago Ingushetian President Ruslan Aushev decreed that local courts have authority over federal courts, a clear violation of the constitution of the Russian Federation. Last week he signed a decree officially permitting men in the republic to marry up to four wives, not serially but simultaneously. President Aushev said local courts must take local mores into account, including such practices as the kidnapping of the bride and the blood feud.