On April 20, the London based al-Hayat newspaper published details of the slaying of Mahmoud Hinnawi, an Egyptian Islamic militant. Although originally from the Middle East, Hinnawi was well traveled in the Caucasus. Indeed, his movements in 1996 had quickly brought him to the attention... MORE

After the demise of the Soviet Union and the emergence of an ideological vacuum, Azeri society began to embrace religion and observe long forgotten Islamic traditions. Thousands of missionaries from Arab countries, Iran and Russia converged on the republic to help “estranged” Muslims better understand... MORE

In an article in the January-February issue of Foreign Affairs, Graham Allison, director of the Belfer Centre for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, pointed out that nearly each month someone is "apprehended trying to smuggle or steal nuclear materials... MORE

Salafi-Jihadists recently posted a recording by the Islamist Arab fighter Abu-Omar Al-Seif on the Chechen website www.qoqaz.com. The recording called for more assistance from Muslims to the Mujahideen in Chechnya in preparation for escalating violence following the election of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The message... MORE

Towards the end of April this year a new Arabic language web magazine, aimed at the Arab mujahidin fighting in the Caucasus, or sympathisers following the events in the region, appeared on the net entitled Sawt al-Qoqaz (‘The Voice of the Caucasus'). In the last... MORE

The February 13 assassination in Qatar of former Chechen President Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev by Russian agents is one of many challenges to international law posed by the new tactics of the "War on Terrorism." America's doctrine of pre-emptive "defensive" use of force has been enthusiastically taken... MORE

On Tuesday August 24 two Russian passenger jets crashed within three minutes of one another, killing all 90 passengers and crew. They had taken off from the same Moscow airport, but had different destinations: Volgograd and Sochi. After early reticence, the Russian authorities accepted, from... MORE

Viktor Vasilevich Bout, one of the world's most notorious arms merchants with proven links to the Taliban, has become a valued partner of the U.S. as it grapples with the insurgency in Iraq. Bout's airline, British Gulf, flies material into Baghdad International airport for the... MORE

With Russia once again threatening pre-emptive strikes on "terrorist" installations in Georgia's Pankisi Gorge, it seems timely to re-examine the alleged activities of Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in the region several years ago. The Pankisi Gorge is a river valley about 34 km long... MORE

Chechen warlord Shamil Basaev is no stranger to violence. In the turbulent world of the northern Caucasus, Basaev has fought in the Abkhaz rebellion of 1992-93, and played a central role in the first Chechen war of 1994-96, the invasion of Dagestan in 1999, and... MORE