Latest Articles about Military/Security
The Kurile Islands: a Key to Russia’s Maritime Nuclear Strategy
This week Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, after completing a state visit to Vietnam, landed on the southern Kurile Island of Kunashir (Japanese name –Kunashiri) which has been under Russian rule since 1945. Japan claims the so-called Northern Territories of the Southern Kuriles: the Habomai islets,... MORE
Kidnappings Abound in Ingushetia and Transcend its Borders
On October 18, hundreds of people blocked a federal highway near Magas, the capital of Ingushetia. The protestors demanded that the government put an end to abductions in the republic. Dzhamaleil Gagiev’s disappearance from the village of Ali-Yurt in Ingushetia on October 14, and the... MORE
Russia and France Create Naval Construction Entity Ahead of Mistral Tender
The ill-omens continue accumulating for NATO in the run-up the Alliance’s summit. Among the adverse trends (which NATO and the United States are unwilling to discuss) is the temptation of some West European governments and arms producers to sell modern military equipment to Russia. This... MORE
No Justice Following Ethnic Violence in Kyrgyzstan
Approximately six months after the ethnic violence in Osh and Jalalabad, southern Kyrgyzstan remains relatively calm. Tensions, however, have now migrated into the local courtrooms, where the alleged criminals are on trial in a highly charge environment. Ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbeks find themselves on the... MORE
Bat or Mouse? The Strange Case of Reforming Spetsnaz
One distinguishing hallmark of Russian defense reform is the unpredictable and apparently indiscriminate manner in which it is implemented. This approach leaves officers wondering about their future and where the next “surprise” might surface. The latest “victim” in this unstoppable process was the GRU Spetsnaz... MORE
Moscow’s Behavior in the North Caucasus Increasingly Reminiscent of its Imperial Past
On October 26, the Russian president’s envoy to the North Caucasus Federal District, Aleksandr Khloponin, held his first live TV press conference. Khloponin expressly blamed instability in the region on the security services of Western countries, stating that the situation in the North Caucasus was... MORE
Ranjit Debbarma: A Close Up View of the Leader of the All Tripura Tiger Force
The outgoing chief of the Tripura state police, Pranay Sahay, informed the public during a briefing on October 11 that the top militants of the state are still operating from neighboring Bangladesh, but their strengths are fast dwindling due to the positive approach of the... MORE
Is the Main Source of Chechen Rebel Weapons Georgia, or the Russian Army?
Bomb disposal experts in the Chechen capital destroyed a large improvised explosive device in a controlled explosion today (October 29). Police discovered the bomb in the village of Katayama in Grozny’s Staropromyslovsky district based off of information provided by a detained rebel accomplice. The device... MORE
White House-Connected Think Tank Reframes U.S. Policy Toward Georgia (Part Two)
On the humanitarian situation, CAP’s study (Center for American Progress,“A New Approach to the Russia-Georgia Conflict,” October 2010, www.americanprogress.org) recommends US support for easing the movement of people and goods across demarcation lines between the secessionist territories and the rest of Georgia. “Ideally,” this would... MORE
Al-Qaeda Exploits Kashmir Conflict to Expand Operations to India
It appears increasingly clear that al-Qaeda is intent on striking in India. In fact, the organization provided assistance in the 2008 Mumbai attacks and may already have been connected to bomb strikes this year. India has remained largely untouched by al-Qaeda directed violence, but the... MORE