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Latest Articles about The Caucasus
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Azerbaijan: Difficult Year Ahead
Several key developments in 2012 had a tremendous impact on Azerbaijan and its foreign policy. First of all, the “reelection” of Vladimir Putin as president of Russian could be considered one of the major events that influenced Azerbaijan. Putin’s triumphal return buried the last hopes... MORE
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New Russian Legislation Undermines Moscow’s Claims to Strengthen Country’s Unity
On January 9, President Vladimir Putin proposed amendments to existing legislation that are widely seen as tightly restricting movement within the Russian Federation. The new amendments will apply to foreign migrant workers and Russian citizens alike. Russian citizens will have to register with the government... MORE
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The Central Powers’ Policies Toward the North Caucasus, 1914–1917 (Part One)
The First World War, which resulted in independence for some non-Russian peoples of the former Romanov Empire, also awakened a striving for sovereignty among the peoples of the Caucasus, which had gone dormant after the 1905 revolution. The Caucasian peoples’ potential to the Central Powers’... MORE
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Georgian Patriarch’s Visit to Moscow: Is Georgia Leaning to the North?
The head of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Ilia II, will visit Moscow on January 21 at the invitation of Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church (https://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=25612). Official press releases of both churches say that Patriarch Ilia II will be given an... MORE
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Chechnya’s Insurgency Stubbornly Remained Active in 2012
Out of 137 official news releases in connection to the armed opposition’s activities in Chechnya in 2012, 71 were about the arrests of rebel supporters. One-third of those arrested on charges of providing support to the rebels were women. Meanwhile, 28 militants and 42 service... MORE
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Violence in Dagestan Accelerated in 2012
At the start of 2013 it makes sense to summarize the events of the previous year. The official figures from 2012 suggest that the Republic of Dagestan today is the primary base of the armed resistance in the North Caucasus: 262 terrorism-related crimes were committed... MORE
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The End of United National Movement’s Rule in Georgia: What Now?
The year 2012 will be remembered in modern Georgian history as the period when the unchallenged, almost nine-year rule of President Mikheil Saakashvili and his United National Movement (UNM) ended, at least for now. Regardless of Saakashvili’s successes with providing public goods and fighting against... MORE
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False Alternatives: Opposition to Sochi Olympics or Repatriation of Syrian Circassians
From the start of the crisis in Syria in 2011 and especially in 2012, Circassians discovered there were an estimated 100,000 of their ethnic brethren living in that war-torn country. Circassian activists expended much effort in 2012 trying to convince the Russian authorities to help... MORE
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North Caucasus More Unstable and More Threatening to Moscow Now than a Year Ago
The North Caucasus is far more unstable and more threatening to Moscow’s control than it was a year ago, despite widespread acceptance of Vladimir Putin’s assertions to the contrary. There are three reasons for that conclusion: First, across the region, Islam and nationalism are reinforcing... MORE
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Trends in Kabardino-Balkaria in 2012 Likely to Continue in 2013
A most unusual event took place in Kabardino-Balkaria in June 2012, when a group of 100 Russian special forces servicemen and investigators descended on the republic’s capital Nalchik. The investigators arrested the head of the republican president’s administration, Vladimir Zhamborov, several other top Kabardino-Balkarian officials... MORE