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Latest Articles about The Caucasus
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Armenia’s Regional Energy and Transport Cooperation Squeezed by Russia
Shortly after the deal on Iran’s nuclear program, Iranian ambassador to Armenia, Mohammad Reyisi, gave several interviews to Armenian newspapers and news agencies concerning perspectives for future bilateral cooperation. Ambassador Reyisi noted that the joint construction of a hydroelectric plant on the river Arax could... MORE
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North-South Railroad Competitions Reordering Geopolitics of the Caucasus
For most of the post-Soviet period, politicians and pundits have focused on east-west transportation corridors in the southern Caucasus. But today, two north-south railway projects—one that would link Azerbaijan and Iran, and a second that would connect Armenia and Iran (see EDM, September 25, 2014;... MORE
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Possible Introduction of Russian Peacekeeping Forces Into Karabakh Opposed by Armenia
A resolution of the “frozen conflict” between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed Karabakh region—though internationally recognized as legally part of Azerbaijan—continues to slowly move forward. The question is what form it will take, and what outside powers will be most influential in promoting it.... MORE
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Political Tensions Rise in Dagestan as Municipal Elections Approach
Dagestan remains one of the few Russian regions in which local political life still exists despite all of Moscow’s efforts to eliminate it. Tensions are running high in the republic as 23 parties gear up for municipal elections in September. As the largest and most... MORE
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Russia Threatens Georgia With Renewed Trade War
The Russian government regularly uses its agency for consumer protection, Rospotrebnadzor, for trade discrimination and blocking imports from countries whose policies Moscow does not like (see EDM, March 28, 2006; October 11, 2013; October 16, 2013). On August 4, 2015, Rospotrebnadzor issued a warning to... MORE
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After Loss of Three Senior Commanders, Is the Caucasus Emirate on the Ropes?
The forces trying to prolong the life of the Caucasus Emirate (CE) have suffered a major setback. This third blow in nearly six months may put an end to this organization in the North Caucasus. At the end of 2014, a wave of changes swept... MORE
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Two Chechen Battalions Are Fighting in Ukraine on Kyiv’s Side
It did not come as much of a surprise when the leader of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, acknowledged that pro-Russian Chechens were involved in the conflict in Ukraine. This was something that everybody knew, but no Russian official had previously confirmed. In an interview with the... MORE
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China Makes Inroads Into Strategically Located North Caucasus Republic
On July 27, Ingushetia’s governor, Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, met members of two Chinese delegations in the republic’s capital, Magas. Chinese investors have reportedly expressed interest in some of the republic’s old oil fields that can be reclaimed. According to Yevkurov, the rights to own the republic’s... MORE
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Emergence of a Russian ‘Fifth Column’ and Propaganda Machine Inside Azerbaijan
The recent intensification of high-level exchanges between the governments of Azerbaijan and Russia—most recently exemplified by the visits of the Azerbaijani foreign and defense ministers to Moscow (TASS, July 17; APA, July 31)—poses a number of questions about the aim and scope of these bilateral... MORE
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Arrests of Dagestani Officials Signal Republic’s Leadership May Soon Be Replaced
Russian authorities have unexpectedly continued a series of arrests of Dagestani officials. On August 2, the Federal Security Service (FSB) arrested the head of Buinaksk district, Daniyal Shihsaidov, after which the security services searched the home of his father, Khizri Shihsaidov, who is speaker of... MORE