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Latest Articles about The Caucasus
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With Karabakh Conflict Negotiations Deadlocked, Regional Players Heighten Military Rhetoric
The month of May is important from the perspective of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict because it marks the anniversaries of both the occupation of Azerbaijan’s Shusha city and Lachin districts (rayons) as well as the later signing of the “ceasefire agreement”—the terms of which are still... MORE
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Iran Expanding Its Naval Presence in the Caspian
Western analysts tend to focus on the Iranian navy almost exclusively in terms of its ability to harass or block oil tankers coming through the Strait of Hormuz, an understandable perspective given the danger that Iran could disorder world oil markets if it was successful... MORE
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Will Chechnya’s Ramzan Kadyrov Survive Hospitalization in Moscow?
On May 21, mainstream Russian news agencies broke the story of the hospitalization of Chechnya’s strongman, Ramzan Kadyrov. These media outlet’s sources revealed that Kadyrov was flown from Grozny to Moscow on suspicion of his having contracted the novel coronavirus responsible for causing COVID-19. They... MORE
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The Increasing Role of Azerbaijan as a Regional Digital Hub
On April 10, the Azerbaijani parliament ratified and President Ilham Aliyev approved a law for laying a trans-Caspian fiber-optic cable across the bottom of the Caspian Sea between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan (President.az, April 10). The initial interstate agreement—“On the Organization of Activities by Communications Operators... MORE
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Despite Demise of Insurgency in North Caucasus, Russian Authorities Still Wary of Its Remnants
On May 13, Russian special forces launched a search operation across the Assa River, in Ingushetia’s Sunzhensky district, which borders Chechnya. The authorities warned local villagers not to visit the area. The security forces were combing the forest for a group of militants led by... MORE
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Turkey’s Heavy ‘Tiger’ Rocket Spotted in Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan Exclave
Baku has initiated large-scale weapons readiness efforts in Nakhchivan. The official YouTube channel of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense features a video showing Turkish-manufactured multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS) stationed in the strategic western exclave (YouTube, May 2). Of these arms, the 300-millimeter TRG-300 Kaplan (Tiger)... MORE
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Kyiv and Moscow Square Off Over Legal Arrangements for the Black Sea
Moscow’s continuing efforts to reduce the Black Sea to the status of a de facto Russian lake (see EDM, January 23) have forced Ukraine to seek increasingly inventive means of pushing back. Recently, some Ukrainian commentators have begun calling for a Timor Sea–type resolution for... MORE
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The Politics of Reform: Saakashvili’s Odesa Mission (Part Two)
*To read Part One, please click here. While Mikheil Saakashvili served as governor of Ukraine’s Odesa Province (May 2015–November 2016), the region presented the former Georgian president with hurdles not only to system reforms but even to rational management as such. Those obstacles included:... MORE
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The Politics of Reform: Saakashvili’s Odesa Mission (Part One)
Georgia’s former president, Mikheil Saakashvili, has accepted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s offer to chair the Executive Committee of Ukraine’s National Council for Reforms (Ukrinform, May 7). Taking up the new challenge, Saakashvili promised to draw on the experience of his universally recognized achievements in Georgia... MORE
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Russian Regions Face High Budget Deficits and Little Support From the Central Government
The pandemic and the partially related collapse in oil prices will lead to the highest budget deficit in the Russian regions for the past 20 years, despite the support of the central government, says a recent assessment by the global credit rating agency S&P. Regions... MORE