Latest Articles about Military/Security
Medvedev Displays Bewildering Ambivalence About Russia’s North Caucasus Policy
On July 5, President Dmitry Medvedev took part in a meeting of the presidential council for the development of civil society and human rights, which was held in Nalchik, Kabardino-Balkaria. The activities of the law enforcement agencies in the North Caucasus came under severe criticism... MORE
European Missile Defense, Strategic Strike Conventional Systems and Non-Strategic Nuclear Weapons: The View From 32/34 Smolenskaya-Sennaya Square
The initial response to the outcome of the discussions on European missile defense at the NATO-Russia Council (NRC) on June 9 was quite negative (EDM, June 21, 22). Senior Russian officials at the talks described the results in that manner. Defense Minister Anatoliy Serdyukov stated... MORE
Abkhazia Relies On Moscow’s Security Guarantees and Financial Backing
On June 20, the Forum of the National Unity of Abkhazia issued a statement about the nomination of a candidate for the presidency in the Georgian breakaway territory of Abkhazia. It is expected that Raul Khadzhimba will become the third candidate in the Abkhaz presidential... MORE
Fiscal Challenges May Bring Profound Changes to Russia’s Position in the North Caucasus
In his budget address for 2012-2014 on June 29, President Dmitry Medvedev designated decentralization as one of the Russian Federation’s state priorities. The Russian leader also called for privatization, lowering corporate taxes, the overall diminishing of the state’s role in economic activities and other measures... MORE
Chinese Perceptions of U.S. Engagement in the South China Sea
In November 2002, China and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) adopted a Declaration on the Conduct of Parties (DOC) in the South China Sea (SCS), laying a political foundation for the discussion of commercial cooperation between China and ASEAN countries as well... MORE
Taiwan Espionage Cases Highlight Changes in Chinese Intelligence Operations
On June 13th, Taiwanese authorities detained businessman Lai Kun-chieh on charges that he spied for Beijing, attempting to steal military secrets for a still unidentified Chinese intelligence agency (Lianhe Xinwen, June 14). The case follows the standard plotline of most Chinese intelligence operations against Taiwan... MORE
Who Will Command China’s Aircraft Carriers?
China has reportedly postponed the sea trial of its long-awaited aircraft carrier to an unspecified date in August. The Varyag, which was purchased from Ukraine and is under refurbishment at Dalian port, was widely believed to set sail on July 1 for a trial run.... MORE
Cossacks versus Highlanders: Moscow Gambles on Tsarist Tactics in the North Caucasus
After the colonization of the North Caucasus by Russian troops in the eighteenth and nineteenth Centuries, Russia established Cossack settlements as a form of influence on the local populations. Serving as fortresses, these quasi-military settlements were tasked with protecting the lowlands from highlanders. In other... MORE
Claims and Counter-Claims about Umarov’s Location Dominate Russian Media Headlines
On June 26, the Lifenews.ru website quoted “experts” and North Caucasus law-enforcement sources as claiming that Doku Umarov, the Chechen rebel leader and “emir” of the Caucasus Emirate, had received medical treatment in Turkey and returned to the North Caucasus. The website said that Umarov’s... MORE
The Abandoned Army: War Returns to Sudan’s Nuba Mountains
The people of South Kordofan have become caught up in the unresolved contradiction of the post-John Garang Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), which is now leading South Sudan into independence; what happens when a national federalist political movement becomes an ethnic separatist political movement? This... MORE