Times Online: The Aftermath Of The Beslan School Massacre
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posted by eagle on August, 2009 as ANALYSIS / OPINION
From The Sunday Times August 9, 2009 The aftermath of the Beslan school massacreFive years on, the town where Russia's worst terrorist attack took place claiming 333 lives is still haunted by its pastThis mother's youngest son was killed in the Beslan school massacre, which claimed the lives of hundreds of others Graduation day is a somber and painful time in Beslan. While across Russia school children celebrate one of life's major milestones by bringing flowers to school for their teachers, in this small community, entire classrooms head for a separate section of the town's cemetery. Known as the City Of Angels, this sprawling plot of land is where most of the 333 people who died in Russia's worst ever terrorist attack, the Beslan school massacre, were laid to rest. More than half were children and every second headstone is adorned with toys. Graduates gather silently around the tombs of their former classmates killed on what should have been the last school day of their life. White balloons, one for ...
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Window On Eurasia: Russian-Georgian War Points To More Border Changes Ahead, Moscow Expert Says
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posted by eagle on as ANALYSIS / OPINION
Paul Goble
Vienna, August 7 – Most of the enormous number of commentaries on the approaching first anniversary of the Russian-Georgian war have sought either to identify winners and losers or predict the future, but the real lesson of that conflict is that more borders in the post-Soviet space are likely to change in the future, according to a Moscow analyst.
In an essay posted on Politcom.ru today, Sergey Markedonov, one of Russia’s most thoughtful commentators on ethnic relations, suggests that most analysts have adopted too narrow a perspective on last year’s conflict instead of considering what it says about the post-Soviet space as a whole (www.politcom.ru/8620.html).
Many analysts, he points out, have sought to draw up a political balance sheet. Bulgarian expert Ivan Krastyev, for example, has concluded that in the war, “Georgia lost its dreams, the Kremlin lost its complexes, Washington lost its nerves, and the European Union lost its ...
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Window On Eurasia: Russia’s Muslims Give Putin Mixed Reviews
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posted by eagle on as ANALYSIS / OPINION
Paul Goble
Vienna, August 8 – Like their compatriots who follower other faiths or none at all, Russia’s 20 million Muslims vary widely in their assessment of Vladimir Putin on the tenth anniversary of his rise to the highest levels of power, but most appear to give him a largely positive but far from uncritical assessment.
To gain a better idea of their assessments of the former president and current prime minister, Islam.ru’s Asya Kapayeva interviewed six leading Muslims from various walks of life not only about their personal views but also about their sense of how Russia’s Muslims in general view the Putin years (www.islam.ru/pressclub/gost/delitputos/).
Ali Visam Bardvil, the head of the Muslim Spiritual Directorate (MSD) of Karelia, suggested that there had been “major changes” in the life of Russians and Russia’s Muslims during the Putin years, with the latter welcoming his frequent statements that “Russia is a poly-confessional and multi-national state.”
Bardvil, a Palestinian by birth, ...
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My voice for Abkhazia By Fatima Tlisova
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posted by eagle on as ANALYSIS / OPINION
My voice for AbkhaziaBy Fatima Tlisova
Georgia takes the front pages and news topics once again a year after the short but violent war last August. There are tons of analyses in the media around the world but I believe that my voice as the one who was born in the Caucasus and who reported from the region for 12 years for western media deserves to be heard.
I am not going to give any analyses or expertise. I simply have the bunch of “did you know?” and “why?” questions that I want to address to the people who make decisions.
The “did you know?” questions are very simple but must be answered I believe.
So, did you know that ethnic Abkhazians consist only 30% of population of Abkhazia?
Did you know that the remaining 70% shared equally by Jews and Armenians?
Did you know that the statistics of the people who died in early 90-th fighting for Freedom of Abkhazia against Georgia is similar to the ethnic picture?
If you ... >> full
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Window On Eurasia: Islamic Centers In Russian Areas Invite Violence Because Of Conflicts Among Muslims, Stavropol Residents Say
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posted by eagle on as ANALYSIS / OPINION
Paul Goble
Vienna, August 5 – The leaders of three public organizations in Stavropol kray have called on the governor there to block the opening of any Islamic institutions there lest violent conflicts among various Muslim groups erupt and undermine stability and progress in that predominantly Russian region which adjoins the North Caucasus.
The groups, including the Stavropol Protest Committee, the Historical-Patriotic Club of Stavropol, and the Union of Slavic Organizations of Stavropol kray, said in an open letter posted on the Internet last week that they are not against Islam or the Muslim leaders who seek to open mosques and Islamic centers there (www.vestikavkaza.ru/articles/politika/confl/6358.html).
The authors of the appeal said that they know and respect Mufti Ismail-Haji Berdiyev, who heads the officially recognized and “traditional” Muslim communities in Karachay-Cherkessia and Stavropol kray, but they fear that allowing him or others like him to open a mosque or ...
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