Articles & Commentary

But war could ignite further disputes in the region. “Following a series of provocative attacks in its secessionist region of South Ossetia late last week, Georgia launched an all-out attempt to reestablish control in the tiny enclave. Russia then intervened by dropping bombs on Georgia to protect the South Ossetians, halt the growing tide of…

Three months ago, the presidents of Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Transnistria celebrated the creation of a new organization, the Community for Democracy and Human Rights. “The presidents promised to democratize their governments, protect ethnic minorities and bring peace and prosperity to their countries. But no head of state greeted the new organization, because no one…

A New Look at Russia’s Chechen Impasse “It is hard to think of a more likely pair of candidates for historical enmity than the Russian government and the Chechens. In the nineteenth century, Russia’s expansion into the Caucasus was slowed by the opposition of local mountain peoples, of whom the Chechens were among the most…

Georgia’s image in the West is belied by the reality on the ground. “It is an old culture squeezed into a tiny new state. That is the way visitors to post-Soviet Georgia often describe the place. Resting on the southern slopes of the Caucasus Mountains, hemmed in by the Black Sea, Turkey and its south…