The Northern Caucasus as Crisis Region
Anatomy of an Islamic Uprising
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
The Northern Caucasus is a region of extreme ethnic diversity. For two decades, it has been one of Russia’s most violent areas. Initially, the Chechen national movement strived for independence. It was defeated in two wars. In the meantime, upon the fertile ground of the region’s serious socio-economic problems, an Islamist in-surgency has emerged. A politicized form of Islam provides an ideological, identity-shaping basis. In 2007, the leaders of this insurgency proclaimed an “Emirate of the Caucasus”. Russia is searching for a concept to stop the spread of jihad.
(Osteuropa 6-8/2012, pp. 293–312)