The New Insurgents of Our Era
After one of the suspects of the terrorist attack in Boston, 19 year-old Chechen-American Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was arrested, President Barack Obama asked a question that many Americans were asking, “Why…
Islamic Terrorism Comes to Boston
(University of Nottingham, Ningbo, China) The two bombings on 15 April at the finish line of the Boston Marathon were not the first time that Boston has known Islamic terrorists…
References on Chechnya, the Caucasus, and Related Violence
(The Monkey Cage) I have been debating whether to write this post for the last few hours since rumors regarding the identity of the Boston marathon bombers and their Chechen origin began to spread.…
Rating Nazarbayev’s Likely Successors
Recently, I wrote a PONARS Eurasia policy memo about what I termed an “unlikely succession struggle” in Kazakhstan. In this paper, I noted that, despite the popularity of President Nursultan…
Unresolved Issues: North Caucasians in the Russian Army
The problem of military service for North Caucasian recruits in the Russian army has been discussed for some time already. General-colonel Vasilii Smirnov, the Russian General Staff Deputy Chief, said…
Нерешенные проблемы: кавказцы в российской армии
Проблема действительной службы выходцев из северокавказских республик в рядах российских вооруженных сил обсуждается уже не первый год. Комментируя ситуацию вокруг весеннего призыва нынешнего года, заместитель начальника Генштаба генерал-полковник Василий Смирнов…
Kuril Islands Report Published
I just wanted to note that my report on the Southern Kuril Islands has been published as part of CNA's Long Littoral Project. It's the last of five reports exploring…
April in Kyrgyzstan
This month Kyrgyzstan celebrates the third anniversary of the overthrow of country’s second president, Kurmanbek Bakiev, which led to major changes in the country’s structure of governance. Three years on,…
«Россия отдыхает тяжело»: военные учения на Черном море
После русско-грузинской войны 2008 года Россия регулярно проводит учения на Черном море. Около 30 российских кораблей, 7000 военнослужащих, более 20 боевых самолетов и вертолетов приняли участие во «внезапной» проверке готовности…
“Resting” at the Black Sea: Russia’s Latest Military Maneuvers
Since the 2008 war with Georgia, Russia has regularly held military maneuvers on the Black Sea. This March, about 30 ships, 7,000 personnel, and more than 20 airplanes and helicopters…
Lukashenko as a Symptom of German Troubles
When Manfred Sapper, editor-in-chief of the German Osteuropa journal, in his public discussion with the Belorusian writer Sviatlana Kurs asked, “What does Germany have to do with the Lukashenko regime?",…
Новая двусмысленность российско-грузинских отношений
Русско-грузинские отношения претерпевают некоторые изменения с тех пор, как к власти в Грузии пришло новое правительство. Если прежде Саакашвили и Путин/Медведев проводили политику тотальной вражды друг к другу, то новая…