Latest Articles about Military/Security
Ethnic Russian Muslims Involved in Volgograd Bombings
The previous year, which ended so tragically for Russia with terrorist attacks in Pyatigorsk and Volgograd, was not an exceptional one for a country that has been mired in terrorism-related violence since the start of the second Russian-Chechen war in the fall of 1999.The terrorist... MORE
Perceived Imminent Terrorist Threat in Russia Triggers Unprecedented Security Clampdown
Two terrorist suicide bomb explosions in Volgograd (former Stalingrad)—on December 29 in the main city railroad station, and on December 30 on a packed city trolleybus—killed 34 people and injured more than 60. Russian officials believe the attacks were perpetrated by North Caucasian–based Salafi jihadist... MORE
In the Shadow of Sochi: The North Caucasus in 2013
Russian officials have repeatedly complained over the last 12 months that analysts in both Russia and the West will link, appropriately or not, everything that takes place in Russia before February 2014 with the Sochi Olympiad. There may be some justification for such complaints regarding... MORE
Russia’s Navy Inches Forward
Russia’s Navy entered 2014 with some small signs of progress, while the Ministry of Defense faces significant challenges centered on the development of the Bulava sea-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) for a new generation of submarines. The Navy also operates under the condition of raising the... MORE
Terrorist Attacks in Russia Symptom of Country’s Political Stagnation
Two explosions shook the city of Volgograd in Russia’s Volga region on December 29 and December 30, killing 34 people and injuring more than 70. The first attack hit the city railway station while the second hit a city trolleybus (https://www.interfax.ru/russia/news/349933). As one attack followed... MORE
Rahmon Appoints New Ministers of Defense and Foreign Affairs
On November 30, Emomali Rahmon, the newly re-elected president of Tajikistan, held the first cabinet meeting of his new administration (Ozodi, November 30). In all, 22 new major appointments were made and the average age of cabinet members dropped from 56.7 to 52. The two... MORE
Astana Seeks to Expand Law Enforcement Cooperation with the US
Kazakhstan is seeking to expand legal cooperation in criminal cases with the United States and potentially sign a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) with Washington. During his visit to Washington on December 6, Kazakhstani Prosecutor-General Askhat Daulbayev discussed with US Attorney General Eric Holder expanding... MORE
Russia’s Arctic Policy: Between Commercialization and Militarization
2013 was a big year for Arctic commerce. But for Russia it was mainly a big a year for the re-militarization of the Arctic. Thus, Russian policy remains trapped between the priorities of commercial utilization of the Arctic and the region’s continuing military importance. In... MORE
Pakistani Political Turmoil over Drone Strikes Complicates ISAF Afghan Supply Efforts
If all goes as planned, then next year the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) will begin withdrawing from Afghanistan, completing its departure by the end of 2014. Logistical elements have already begun to be withdrawn by the United States and its Allies. But rising political... MORE
Kazakhstan Offers to Dispose of Syrian Chemical Weapons
On November 28, the deputy head of the Department for Multilateral Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, Anuar Tanalinov, said that his country was considering the possibility of taking part in the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons. According to the Kazakhstani diplomat,... MORE