Category: Caucasus

JRL NEWSWATCH: “Asia’s commercial heft helps keep Russia’s war economy going; That holds future lessons for America” – The Economist

Caucasus, Central Asia, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Far East, Siberia, APEC, Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Sanctions, Taiwan, Turkey
File Photo of Beijing Temple, adapted from image at lbl.gov

“… [M]ore than three dozen countries … slapped economic sanctions on Russia … unprecedented in … scope for a target of its size, covering energy and other commodities, finance, technology, travel, shipping and more … to raise the cost … of continuing the war [in Ukraine]. … China … has done the most to undermine the West’s sanctions. Trade between […]

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Russia Analytical Report, Nov. 20-27, 2023

Armenia, Azerbaijan, South Caucasus, Caucasus, Central Asia, China, Cybersecurity, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Europe, EU, Germany, Headlines, Israel, Gaza, Hamas, Palestine, Military, NATO, North Korea, Oil, Gas, Energy, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Turkey, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United Nations, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations, Women
File Photo of Red Square, Kremlin, Environs, adapted from image at state.gov

(Russia Matters – russiamatters.org) There is no “durable stalemate on the ground” in the Russian-Ukrainian war as there is “no clear-cut parity,” CEIP’s Michael Kofman said in a War on the Rocks podcast shortly after returning from Ukraine. Looking back, Kofman advised that “the sooner we can say” Ukraine’s counteroffensive has not been successful, “the sooner we can learn from it.” Looking […]

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RUSSIALINK: “Nagorno-Karabakh Crisis Deepens Divides in Armenia Toward Russia” – Moscow Times

Armenia, Azerbaijan, South Caucasus, Caucasus, Headlines
Azerbaijan Map, including Nagorno-Karabakh, adapted from state.gov image

(Moscow Times – Kirill Ponomarev – Sept. 28, 2023) YEREVAN, Armenia – Tigran has been protesting outside the Russian embassy every day since Azerbaijan launched its offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh. On the embassy’s steps, flowers have been laid in memory of the peacekeepers who were killed by Azerbaijani shelling last week. “Are these bloody flowers for the occupiers?” reads the poster […]

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JRL NEWSWATCH: “The U.S. Can Win Over Russia’s Neighbors” – WSJ

Caucasus, Central Asia, Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

“Central Asia is also vital for America’s rivalry with China.” “… Putin’s war against Ukraine has provided the U.S. … a critical opportunity to diminish Russia’s influence over its neighbors …. The peoples of Central Asia and the Caucasus support Ukraine’s struggle. They remember the conquest by their former imperial masters, the czars and communists. … [including] forced Russification and […]

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RUSSIALINK: “What Is Russia’s Role in the Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict?” – Moscow Times

Armenia, Azerbaijan, South Caucasus, Caucasus
Map of Azerbaijan and South Caucasus Environs Including Portions of Armenia, Georgia, Russia, Iran, Caspian Sea

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Sept. 28, 2020) At least 39 troops and civilians have been killed over the past two days in the worst clashes between foes Armenia and Azerbaijan since 2016. Fighting between the ex-Soviet republics over a decades-long territorial dispute threatens to embroil regional players Russia and Turkey. The United States, Europe, Russian President Vladimir Putin and […]

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NEWSWATCH: “Saint Nick of Armenia: how protest leader Nikol Pashinyan ‘rescued’ Armenia and made it merry; Armenia’s intensive street mobilisation over the past month has taken many by surprise. Who is the man at the centre of these protests? [Excerpt]” – OpenDemocracy/Emil Sanamyan

Armenia, Caucasus, JRL NewsBlog
Armenia Map and Flag

(opendemocracy.net – Emil Sanamyan – May 5, 2018) Based in Washington DC, Emil Sanamyan writes mostly about the South Caucasus region and its adjacent states. Recently, he has been editing the Focus on Karabakh page at the USC’s Institute of Armenian Studies and blogging about Armenian politics at Eurasianet.org. [Complete text: opendemocracy.net/od-russia/emil-sanamyan/saint-nick-of-armenia-how-nikol-pashinyan-rescued-armenia-and-made-it-merry] Four months ago, Armenian parliamentary deputy Nikol Pashinyan, […]

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NEWSWATCH: “NATO General Surprised By Lack Of ‘Visible Russian Interference’ In Armenia Crisis [Excerpt]” – RFE/RL

Armenia, Caucasus, Military, NATO
Armenia Map and Flag

(Article ©2018 RFE/RL, Inc., Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty – rferl.org – PRAGUE, May 4, 2018 – also appeared at https://www.rferl.org/a/nato-general-surprised-by-lack-of-visible-russian-interference-in-armenia-s-crisis/29208187.html) “A NATO general says he’s surprised that Russia is not more openly involved in Armenia’s recent tumultuous events that led to longtime leader Serzh Sarkisian being pushed from power. General Petr Pavel, the chairman of NATO’s Military Committee, told RFE/RL on […]

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RUSSIALINK: “What Does the Decline of Clans in the North Caucasus Mean for Moscow?” – Carnegie Moscow/ Konstantin Kazenin

Caucasus, Chechnya, Dagestan, North Caucasus, Newslinks, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Regions, Cities, Municipalities
Caucasus Map of Chechnya and Caucasus Environs

“Recent speculation that Russia wants to topple the ‘traditional’ clan system in the North Caucasus misses the point: the clan system is in no way traditional, and it is collapsing on its own. The real question is whether the federal center will find other allies in the region when it falls. …”  

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Kremlin Aide Lists Moscow’s Five Biggest Concerns in North Caucasus

Caucasus, Chechnya, Dagestan, North Caucasus
Caucasus Map of Chechnya and Caucasus Environs

(Paul Goble – Window on Eurasia – Staunton, June 23, 2017) Magomedsalam Magomedov, the former head of Daghestan who is now deputy head of the Russian Presidential Administration, told the leaders of the republics in the North Caucasus that Moscow currently has five major concerns about developments in their region that they must address. In remarks to the annual conference […]

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On 25 years of postmodernity in the South Caucasus

Armenia, Azerbaijan, South Caucasus, Caucasus, Georgia

A quarter century since the collapse of Soviet rule in Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan, where is the region now and what can come next? (opendemocracy.net – Georgi Derlugian – October 4, 2016) Georgi Derluguian, in his earlier life a Soviet-trained Africanist, studies the evolution of human societies along with practicing expeditionary fieldwork. Among his books are Bourdieu’s Secret Admirer in […]

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Literature on the front lines: Russian writers in the Caucasus conflicts

Caucasus, Chechnya, Dagestan, North Caucasus, Life in Russia, Culture, Arts

(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Phoebe Taplin, special to RBTH – February 11, 2014) The tradition of literature exploring conflict in the Caucasus began with the great stories by Lermontov and Tolstoy, and is carried on by today’s writers: RBTH presents 5 contemporary authors, each with military experience and individual views on duty, violence and the casualties of […]

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On your marks, get set… intercept!

Caucasus, Human Rights, Politics, Government, Protests, Elections, Spies, Spy Allegations, Sports, Olympics, World Cup, Terrorism
File Photo of Sochi Olympics Banner Near Highway in Warm Weather with Vehicle and Cyclicsts Nearby

(opendemocracy.net – Mark Galeotti – October 29, 2013) Mark Galeotti is Professor of Global Affairs at New York University’s SCPS Center for Global Affairs. He blogs on Russian security affairs at In Moscow’s Shadows and tweets as @MarkGaleotti. His most recent book is Russian Security and Paramilitary Forces since 1991 (Osprey, 2013) Russia is devoting considerable effort to trying to […]

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Volgograd Terror Attack: Loathing and Loneliness

Caucasus, Foreign Policy, Security, Visas, Terrorism
Map of European Portion of Former Soviet Union

(RIA Novosti – Natalia Antonova, Acting Editor-in-Chief, The Moscow News – October 22, 2013) Perhaps one of the saddest aspects of the suicide bombing in Volgograd this week ­ assuming we were forced to pick one such aspect ­ is the amount of young people caught up in it. Among the wounded is a toddler. On top of that, that […]

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Rush for regions at St. Pete Economic Forum

Caucasus, Economy, Business, Investment, Trade, Far East, Siberia, APEC, Regions, Cities, Municipalities
Map of Russia

(Moscow News – themoscownews.com – Nathan Gray – ST. PETERSBURG, June 21, 2013) Russia’s government was rushing in where investors feared to tread ­ and used the St. Petersburg Economic Forum as a rallying call for aggressive spending in the country’s regions. Eastern Siberia and the Russian Far East have especially attracted attention in recent years in terms of the […]

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No evidence of connection between Tsarnayev brothers and Doku Umarov – source

Caucasus, Chechnya, Dagestan, North Caucasus, Terrorism, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations
File Photo of Boston Bombings Aftermath with Ambulance and Security Personnel

(Interfax – MOSCOW, April 21, 2013) Information about possible contacts between the Tsarnayev brothers – the suspected Boston bombers – with extremist grouping calling itself the Caucasus Emirate will be checked but so far there is no reliable evidence to that end, a source in Russian law enforcement has told Interfax. Earlier certain foreign media reported a possible connection between […]

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EVENT: Kennan Institute Caucasus Railroads and Pipelines Conference April 2, 9:30AM-2PM

Caucasus, Europe, EU, Events, Georgia, Oil, Gas, Energy
Woodrow Wilson Center Facade file photo

From: “Ariel Cohen” <Ariel.Cohen@heritage.org> Subject: INVITATION: Kennan Institute Caucasus Railroads and Pipelines Conference April 2, 9:30AM-2PM Date: Tue, 26 Mar 2013 Dear Friends: I am honored to invite you to the following event, at which I co-chair a panel. If you do not live in the Washington, D.C. area, our apologies. Feel free to forward to your friends in the […]

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