FP: O&G Book Review: Thomas De Waal's The Caucasus: An Introduction
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posted by circassiankama on September, 2010 as ANALYSIS / OPINION
Posted By Sam Patten  Monday, August 30, 2010 - 2:50 PM
In a number of his shorter works, the Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy refers to the Terek River in the North Caucasus as a terrifying border separating the known civilization to the north from the wild and dangerous realms to the south. Below the river, leading 19th Century figures in the region like Georgia's Ilya Chavchavadze were named tergdaleulni because they had "tasted the waters of the Terek," and ventured north to frigid St. Petersburg in pursuit of Western learning.
Today, the exoticism ascribed to the Caucasus by Russians a century ago has given way to more prosaic geopolitical concerns. But the vitality and importance of this former Soviet region is not much better understood today than it was in Tolstoy's day -- and even when it is, the Caucasus is usually dismissed as too internecine and complicated to merit wide ... >> full
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The Caucasus by Thomas de Waal
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posted by circassiankama on as ANALYSIS / OPINION
The Caucasus
An Introduction
Thomas de Waal
ISBN13: 9780195399769ISBN10: 0195399765 Hardback, 272 pages
Aug 2010, In Stock
Price:$74.00 (06)
DescriptionIn this well-researched and fascinating book, noted journalist Thomas de Waal--author of the highly acclaimed Black Garden --makes the case that while the Caucasus is often treated as a sub-plot in the history of Russia, or as a mere gateway to Asia, the five-day war in Georgia, which flared into a major international crisis in 2008, proves that this is still a combustible region, whose inner dynamics and history deserve a much more complex appreciation from the wider world. In The Caucasus , de Waal provides this richer, deeper, and much-needed appreciation, one that reveals that the South Caucasus--Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, and their many smaller regions, ... >> full
comments (0)
The Caucasus by Thomas de Waal
|
posted by circassiankama on as ANALYSIS / OPINION
The Caucasus
An Introduction
Thomas de Waal
ISBN13: 9780195399769ISBN10: 0195399765 Hardback, 272 pages
Aug 2010, In Stock
Price:$74.00 (06)
DescriptionIn this well-researched and fascinating book, noted journalist Thomas de Waal--author of the highly acclaimed Black Garden --makes the case that while the Caucasus is often treated as a sub-plot in the history of Russia, or as a mere gateway to Asia, the five-day war in Georgia, which flared into a major international crisis in 2008, proves that this is still a combustible region, whose inner dynamics and history deserve a much more complex appreciation from the wider world. In The Caucasus , de Waal provides this richer, deeper, and much-needed appreciation, one that reveals that the South Caucasus--Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, and their many smaller regions, ... >> full
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Jamestown Foundation: Theories Behind Moscow Metro Attacks Abound
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posted by eagle on as ANALYSIS / OPINION
Theories Behind Moscow Metro Attacks AboundPublication: North Caucasus Analysis September 10, 2010 03:54 PM
On April 11, the Dagestani branch of the Federal Security Service (FSB) declared it was fighting a group of Islamist insurgents led by Magomedali Vagabov in the Karabudakhkent district of Dagestan (Interfax, April 11). Mariam Sharipova, who is thought to have been one of the two suicide bombers in the Moscow metro on March 29, was reportedly Vagabov’s wife (Kommersant, April 8). If the counter-terrorist operation in Karabudakhkent ends up as similar operations normally do in the North Caucasus, Vagabov will probably be killed, not arrested, and one more lead to answering the enigma of the surprise subway attacks in Moscow will be lost. Seventeen-year-old Dzhennet Abdullaeva was identified as one of the suspected suicide bombers in the Moscow metro attack that claimed 40 lives (EDM, Kommersant, April 2). Soon afterwards, Rasul Magomedov from the mountainous area of Dagestan contacted the Novaya Gazeta newspaper and said he recognized his daughter, 28-year-old Mariam Sharipova, ...
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Daily Times: Medvedev Aide Drops Hint On Second Term Bid
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posted by eagle on as ANALYSIS / OPINION
Medvedev aide drops hint on second term bid
Saturday, September 11, 2010
MOSCOW: President Dmitry Medvedev’s modernisation plans for Russia are not just for one presidential term, his spokeswoman said on Friday, in a possible hint he is interested in a second mandate in 2012. Kremlin spokeswoman Natalya Timakova did not directly say that Medvedev would run in 2012 polls, but her comments come amid fizzing speculation over whether Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will attempt a return to the presidency. "The plans set out by the president have not been formulated for one, two or three years,” she told state English language channel Russia Today in an interview whose transcript was published by Russian news agencies. "The modernisation agenda proposed by the head of state is shared by a large section of society and the government. Therefore achieving these goals goes beyond the term of one presidential mandate.” Medvedev has announced an ambitious modernisation drive to end corruption and wean Russia off its dependence on hydrocarbon reserves ... >> full
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