Unintended Strategic Consequences of Security Assistance in the South Caucasus
JFQ, 2nd Qtr 2010: Unintended Strategic Consequences of Security Assistance in the South Caucasus
Quote:
....This article examines the trends in liberal democracy in the South Caucasus in light of economic development. It relates these trends to regional changes in civil-military relations and the prospects for violence in the region. It then assesses the extent to which security assistance has contributed to stability in the region. Finally, recommendations are made about how future security assistance should be structured....
Khloponin, Caucasus and western intelligence services
Via Goolge Translate.
Quote:
Western intelligence agencies are trying to undermine the situation in the North Caucasus. About it as transmits RIA Novosti news agency said on Tuesday the Russian president's envoy in the region Khloponin during the "straight line" with the residents of the district, when asked about the leading security issues.
"Obviously, on the eve of the Olympic Games in Sochi in 2014 Caucasian subjects, heating or reheating of inter-ethnic or inter-ethnic conflict - this is a very serious challenge, now the secret services of Western countries and simply provocateurs" - said Khloponin
http://newsru.com/russia/26oct2010/chlopo.html
From the Wikileaks dump and hosted by The Guardian.
Chechnya: The Once and Future War, by Ambassador William J. Burns. 30 May 2006.
Quote:
1. (C) Introduction: Chechnya has been less in the glare of constant international attention in recent years. However, the Chechnya conflict remains unresolved, and the suffering of the Chechen people and the threat of instability throughout the region remain. This message reinterprets the history of the Chechen wars as a means of better understanding the current dynamics, the challenges facing Russia, the way in which the Kremlin perceives those challenges, and the factors limiting the Kremlin's ability to respond. It draws on close observation on the ground and conversations with many participants in and observers of the conflict from the moment of Chechnya's declaration of independence in 1991. We intend this message to spur thinking on new approaches to a tragedy that persists as an issue within Russia and between Russia and the U.S., Europe and the Islamic world.
It is in the open now, and the piece is too good not to share with those who have an interest in Chechnya.
Putin's Failure in Chechnya
An interesting Op-ed article on the Guardian's web site, by way of World Politics Review's Media Roundup.
Basic gist of the article is that Putin's heavy-handed approach has caused the Chechen insurgency to metastize and spread. Definitely seems like they are not using classic counterinsurgency tactics.
I'm curious to hear what our learned folks here think.
V/R,
Cliff
Sword or Samovar: eight articles
Maybe of value, an eight part series as a US reporter moves through the region, which I'd missed. Link:http://www.foreignpolicy.com/categor...ord_or_samovar