Latest Articles about The Caucasus
Anti-Gay Rampage in Tbilisi: Is Impunity Returning to Georgia?
On May 17, several hundred gay rights activists from the organization Identoba (Identity) attempted to hold a rally in central Tbilisi to mark the International Day Against Homophobia (https://www.tabula.ge/ge/story/71188-17-maisis-aqcia-live-feed). Although the government deployed police to protect the demonstrators, thousands of anti-gay mobs led by radical... MORE
Disappointed in Moscow, Russian Circassian Activist Hails Georgia’s Approach to the North Caucasus
In an interview with the Kavkazskaya Politika website, the well-known Circassian activist Ibragim Yaganov said Russia must take steps to alleviate the hardships it inflicted on the Circassians. Yaganov contrasted Russia’s policy of stubborn silence on the Circassian issue to the European colonial powers, which... MORE
International Islamist Movement Spreads to the North Caucasus
The Jamestown Foundation has repeatedly reported on Hizb ut-Tahrir’s (HuT) activities in Russia over the past several years. And as the investigation of the Boston bombings progresses, reports are surfacing in the West that Tamerlan Tsarnaev interacted with Magomed Kartashov, the leader of the Dagestan-based... MORE
FBI Director Mueller’s Visit to Georgia Highlights Bilateral Counter-Terrorism Cooperation
On May 8, Robert Mueller, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), visited Georgia. The official reason for the visit was to assess the terrorism risks in the region in connection with the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. “The FBI is responsible for... MORE
Ethnic Abaza React to Rising Karachai Nationalism
On May 3, groups of Karachay and Abaza youth clashed in Karachaevo-Cherkessia. According to a member of the Abaza organization, Janibek Kuzhev, the fight took place in the village of Psyzh in Abazin district of Karachaevo-Cherkessia. As Karachay youth tried to intimidatingly drive through the... MORE
Russian Interior Ministry Revives Its Armored Train in the North Caucasus
In an effort to control “banditry” and rebel activity in the North Caucasus region, Russia’s Ministry of Interior is returning its sole armored train to service on the often dangerous rail lines of southern Russia. The main mission of the armored train, Kozma Minin, which... MORE
Could EU-Style ‘Ethno-Cultural Zones’ Reduce Tensions in the North Caucasus?
An increasing source of tension and conflict in the North Caucasus is the fear among many of the regional language communities that they face extinction through assimilation—a potentially explosive fear because of the rapidly changing ethnic composition of many republics as a result of the... MORE
Gimry Becomes Target of Dagestan Government Reprisals Again
After nearly a month-long counter-terrorism operation in the Dagestani village of Gimry, residents have complained about the devastation government agents inflicted on their homes. Shamil Magomedov, the head of Untsukul district, of which Gimry is a part, told the Kavkazsky Uzel (Caucasian Knot) website: “We... MORE
Dagestan’s Bloodshed Continues To Grow
May 2013 in Dagestan began in the usual bloody manner. On April 30, the eve of the May 1 holiday in Russia, three police officers – a major, captain and lieutenant - were killed when an unidentified group attacked the Buinaksk district police station in... MORE
Radicalization of Tsarnaev Brothers Likely Did Not Occur in Chechnya
The role of the brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in the Boston bombings is assessed differently on either side of the Atlantic. In the United States, few doubt they are terrorists and that the youngest son, Dzhokhar, who remains alive, deserves the severest form of... MORE