International Terrorism in the Southern Tier: Perceived or Real Threat to Russia’s Security?

The struggle against international terrorism has become one of Russia's top declared foreign policy priorities. The threat posed to Russia's security by international terrorism is usually described as the consolidation of extremist forces along the southern flank of the former Soviet Union. This so-called "Southern Tier" is viewed as an arc of constant instability and Islamic extremism, with "large centers of international terrorism" (guerrilla training camps), full of "mercenaries from the Arab countries and Chechnya." […]

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