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The Caucasus
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The Great Divided Range
Of the numerous atrocities committed by the Stalinist regime, the bloodthirsty ghost of one has persevered through the decades. Hibernating during the existence of the totalitarian Soviet state, this monster reawakened with its demise, breathing new life into unsettled scores and churning latent grudges. With more than 50 diverse ethnic groups populating an area of 440,000 square kilometers, and given the rather belligerent character of the Caucasian inhabitants, it was only natural that any forceful re-shuffling, re-settling, and re-dividing, as Joseph Stalin did with the people of the North Caucasus in 1944, would further destabilize and militarize the region.
To a modern man, the Caucasus no longer associates with an opulent culture, cordial hospitality or breathtaking natural beauty. Instead, the region now signifies terrorism, genocide and refugees. As Russia continues pursuing its own interests in the Caucasus, evident in its recent recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, tensions escalate further, revealing just how fragile stability there really is. As members of modern diasporas prove, the people of the Caucasus can live peacefully side by side, unless used as pawns in the geopolitical resource and ideology-driven chess game. This game needs an impartial referee, but so far, all who have tried getting involved have failed.
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By Sergei Markedonov, Special to Russia Profile
November 1, 2008
Russia’s interests in the region are historically rooted in the country’s own security, global image, and its leadership’s popularity ratings.
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By Dmitry Babich, Russia Profile
November 1, 2008
But it was Mikhail Gorbachev’s perestroika that gave these altercations a new impetus.
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By Ivan Sukhov, Special to Russia Profile
November 1, 2008
The problem of refugees that emerged after the Ossetian-Ingush quarrels in 1992-1993 has already backfired in Beslan, and is still far from being resolved.
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By Shaun Walker, Special to Russia Profile
November 1, 2008
Russia’s acceptance of Abkhazia’s independence brings investment, tourists and security guarantees to the breakaway republic at the small cost of its Georgian population.
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By Roland Oliphant, Russia Profile
November 1, 2008
As a vicious ethnic conflict erupted in a neglected corner of Eurasia, it was natural for thoughts to turn toward the nightmare that accompanied the breakup of Yugoslavia.
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By Ilgar Velizade, Special to Russia Profile
November 1, 2008
At a time of escalating tensions in the region, Turkey is offering its services in organizing negotiations.
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By Alan Kasaev, Special to Russia Profile
November 1, 2008
Following the events in South Ossetia, diplomatic exchanges between the key players in the region have intensified.
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By Sanobar Shermatova, Special to Russia Profile
November 1, 2008
Peacemaking efforts by Turkey and the Minsk group of the OSCE aimed at settling the Karabakh conflict have an obvious energy motive.
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By Sergei Balashov, Russia Profile
November 1, 2008
Yet despite perturbations in their ancestral lands, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Georgian and Russian cooks amicably work side by side.
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By Dmitry Babich, Russia Profile
November 1, 2008
A Bakunian can be forced to leave Baku, but Baku can never be forced out of a Bakunian.
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