Category: Caucasian Politics

Trouble in the Caucasus, Kabardino-Balkaria is one of the may enclaves in the region, as this Economist graphic shows. Indeed the Economist piece back in February discussed the instability of the region. IN ANY other European country, the carnage would have caused horror. But ten years of war in Chechnya have inured most Russians to…

Depressing news indeed: A top human rights official in the Russian-backed administration in Chechnya says there are more than 50 mass graves in the troubled republic. Nurdi Nukhazhiyev told the BBC that tens of thousands of civilians had “disappeared” since 1999. Whither the international outcry?

So it was finally finished this week, though it will take 6 months for the oil to go from one end to the other. At full capacity the pipeline will provide 1% of the world’s oil needs. The Economist notes the significance: The BTC pipeline, though the most expensive option for exporting Caspian oil, was…

I failed to give sufficient space towards the Bush visit to Georgia – but I have been looking back at some of the coverage. Bush’s warning to Putin, his host in Red Square only 24 hours before at the 60th anniversary celebration of the defeat of Nazi Germany, was focused on two separatist enclaves within…

Georgia is getting alot of attention lately because of the Bush visit. Natalia Antelava for the BBC in Tblisi writes a rather uncritical report of the visit. Many Georgians I have spoken to are not only pissed off at the Bush visit, but are angry at Saakashvili. Natalia notes: Yet Georgians do not seem to…

Earlier this month, Eamonn put together a post along with a map of the Caucasus. He referred to an article in the Economist, a 3 page piece if I remember correctly, in which the details of criminal activity in the region were detailed. It is indeed a volatile region, but Georgia is definately a country…

Jonathan Steele writes in the Guardian about Europe’s silence on the situation in Chechnya. In short, Europe is replacing its old policy of publicly denouncing Russia over Chechnya. At the current session of the UN Human Rights Commission, the EU has not proposed a resolution this year. But, diplomats argue, the silence is not motivated…

In some chilling photos, the killing of Aslan Maskhadov, notorious Chechen leader, has been confirmed. The celebrations by Russia’s Dumas will likely be short-lived, Shamil Basayev will probably replace Maskhadov, and may already be planning retaliation.