How interesting. In an implicit acknowledgement that their hardcore Islamophobe policies are backfiring in Chechya, the Russian authorities are embracing the indigenous peace-loving Sufi tradition as an alternative to the violently intransigent Wahhabism imported from the Arab world. But this… Read moreChechen Sufi revival —between Russian occupation and Wahhabis
One civilian was killed and several injured (both police and civilians) in a clash that erupted when police opened fire on protesters blocking a road in Dagestan’s Dokuzpari district April 25. The protesters, who were demanding the dismisal of a… Read moreNorth Caucasus violence continues; authorities to redraw borders?
Insurgency and counterinsurgency grind on in the North Caucasus, with the world’s attention elsewhere. Two police were killed and five wounded April 15 when gunmen ambushed their armored personnel carrier in Chechnya, Russia’s RIA reported. One was killed by a… Read moreNorth Caucasus: violence, repression in Cechnya, Dagestan
A victory for free speech and historical memory was declared last month when charges were dropped against Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk, who had dared to invoke the World War I genocide of the Armenians, as well as more recent persecution… Read moreTurkey: free speech on trial —again
A victory for historical memory—doubtless motivated by the Turkish state’s desire to gain EU entry. But as this Jan. 23 press release from Amnesty International makes clear, the greater victory will be when the law under which Orhan Pamuk was… Read moreTurkey: court drops case against writer
Those traditional and bitter Caucasus enemies Armenia and Azerbaijan both appear to be headed for regime change at the moment. First Armenia. From Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Newsline, Nov. 29: Armenia’s opposition supporters today took to the streets of Yerevan… Read more“Regime change” for Armenia, Azerbaijan?
Riot police dispersed an opposition rally in Azerbaijan’s capital Oct. 23, beating and detaining protesters who defied an official ban on downtown demonstrations two weeks before parliamentary elections. Opposition groups say the government will try to rig the Nov. 6… Read morePolice crush protests in Azerbaijan; “regime change” next?
Presumed Chechen resistance fighters carried out a series of attacks in Nalchik, capital of the Russian Federation’s Kabardino-Balkaria Republic, on the morning of Oct. 13. Facilities targeted included the local headquarters of the Interior Ministry and the Federal Security Service… Read moreChechen resistance attacks Kabardino-Balkaria
Russia says it is outraged by an interview with Chechen guerilla leader Shamil Basayev broadcast by the ABC TV network, and the foreign ministry summoned a senior US diplomat in Moscow to express its “strong indignation” over the show. In… Read moreShamil Basayev: “OK, so I’m a terrorist”
Is the Russian province of Dagestan going the way of neighboring Chechnya? This July 2 AFP account (online at Qatar’s The Peninsula) makes a disturbingly good case: On Makhachkala’s streets a motorist can get away with speeding, running lights and… Read moreDagestan: next Caucasian domino?
What ironic timing. An official visit by the US Energy Secretary to Azerbaijan to mark the opening of the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline was immediately preceeded by violent repression of pro-democracy protests there. From the May 29 New York Times: Washington –… Read moreAzerbaijan: pipeline opens, political space closes
A conference questioning Turkey’s official position on the World War I-era Armenian genocide has been cancelled following pressure from the government. The conference, entitled “Ottoman Armenians at the Decline of the Empire: Academic Responsibility and Issues of Democracy,” was to… Read moreTurkish government threats halt conference on Armenian genocide
