Stabilization process in the North Caucasus

I am currently studying International Relations in a double Masters Degree program with the University of Kent (UK) and the Higher School of Economics (Russia). These years of study allowed me to build up expertise in International Relations theory, the Eurasian region, the SCO, Politics, theory of conflict and violence, conflict resolution, civil wars, terrorism and national security, negotiation and mediation, international law.

 

For my dissertation, I decided to study the stabilization process in the North Caucasus region since the first election of Vladimir Putin as president of the Russian Federation (2000). I am currently undertaking an internship at RIAC where I can work on my dissertation topic through this blog. By doing so, I hope to have some feed-backs on my posts and exchange ideas. The blog is going to be constituted by posts about subjects linked to the North Caucasus and the ongoing process of stabilization; and interviews of experts from different backgrounds and with diverse experiences and point of views on the topic.

 

With the collapse of the Soviet Union, several inter-ethnic and nationalist conflicts developed in the North Caucasus region within the newly formed Russian Federation. Indeed, the North Caucasus is the scene of Europe’s deadliest conflicts, and remains a significant source of instability in Russia: even if the situation is improved, instability remains, and in 2011 at least 1378 casualties occurred, including 750 deaths in the region among security forces, civilians and insurgents. The instability has been spreading to parts of the region that were relatively peaceful, and the rise of an Islamist insurgency feeds on unresolved disputes. Consequently, the main question to answer is what is to be done to improve the situation and insure stability? I hope this blog will lead to a good reflection around this question and others.

 

Thank you for reading!