The situation in Syria has not changed significantly in the past month, but the same cannot be said about the Chechens who are fighting there. Indeed, the Chechen groups in Syria have evidently radicalized and split into different factions because of the dispute between al-Nusra... MORE

On January 2 and 9, Adyge Khase—Circassian Council, a Circassian civil organization in Adygea—held its first public commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the final military defeat of Circassian forces by the Russian imperial army and the end of historical Circassia. The Circassian activists in... MORE

On January 14, an expert report on the current situation and future evolution of the North Caucasus was released in Moscow. The report scathingly criticizes Russian government policies in the region and describes region as being in a state of ongoing crisis. Unlike many other... MORE

A number of important events in Azerbaijan punctuated the past 12 months, and their implications are likely to affect the future development of the country in important ways. Notably, the year 2013 was highlighted by a presidential election, held on October 9, which was swept... MORE

Dagestan’s Khasavyurt district has a long border with Chechnya. Moreover, a significant number of ethnic Chechens ended up in Dagestan after their territory was handed over to Dagestan in 1922 (https://megabook.ru/article/%D0%90%D0%9A%D0%9A%D0%98%D0%9D%D0%A6%D0%AB). After the influx of Chechen refugees during the first Russian-Chechen war, the overall number... MORE

The mysterious killings of six people in Stavropol region on January 8 came as a complete surprise to the region’s law enforcement agencies and residents. Three cars whose drivers had been shot dead were discovered in the region (https://ria.ru/incidents/20140108/988253190.html). The first car was found near... MORE

Ending Dagestan’s convoluted clan system is widely cited as the reason why Moscow dispatched Ramazan Abdulatipov to rule this large and violence-ridden North Caucasian republic one year ago. Over time, however, observers started noticing that Abdulatipov himself was gradually building his own clan as his... MORE

Full-scale investment approved at Shah Deniz, and supply contracts secured in Europe, make it possible for pipeline construction to proceed along the 3,500-kilometer Southern Gas Corridor, from Azerbaijan to European Union territory in Italy. The cumulative investments are estimated at $25 billion in the offshore... MORE

On December 11, 2013, Kazakhstan’s ambassador to Azerbaijan, Amangeldy Zhumabaev, told a press conference that his country was interested in transporting its goods along the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway currently under construction—particularly for transporting Kazakhstani oil and grain(Tengrinews, December 11, 2013).Zhumabaev said, “For us it is very... MORE

The Shah Deniz gas producers’ consortium has approved the final investment decision (FID) on December 17, 2013, launching Phase Two of production at the project in Azerbaijan (see accompanying article). This decision has two immediate consequences, both of them pre-programmed. It validates the long-term gas... MORE