The Fire Below: How the Caucasus Shaped Russia

Description

This groundbreaking work examines the complex dynamics of Russia’s relations with the Caucasus, revealing the profound effects that Caucasian forces have had upon Russia’s development. Essays show how Georgian sparks ignited conflagrations in South Ossetia (1991–1992) and Abkhazia (1992–1993), spreading northward to conflicts in Ossetia and Ingushetia (1992) and Chechnya (1994–1996). Combined with jihadist influences that entered from the South and East by way of Dagestan, these events culminated in the second Russo-Chechen war (1999–2009). Chechnya transformed both the Russian military and the presidency of Vladimir Putin. Beginning in 2000, Putin’s Chechenization strategy had unforeseen and controversial results for the entire Russian Federation. These ironies are elucidated in case studies of the Stavropol region, the Sochi Olympics, the Pussy Riot conviction, and Russia’s efforts to reintegrate religion with politics against the backdrop of an emerging Islamic “inner abroad.” Neither Russia nor the Caucasus can be understood without an appreciation of their uneasy interconnection and its explosive consequences. Cover HalfTitle Title Copyright Dedication Contents Notes on Contributors CHAPTER ONE Introduction: How Has the Caucasus Shaped Russia? PART ONE Caucasian Causation CHAPTER TWO Enter the Memes The Georgian catastrophe The fire spreads to Russia The Pankisi Gorge controversy Post-9/11 opportunities missed Saakashvili and the 2008 war Aftermath Conclusion CHAPTER THREE Caucasian Crescent: Russia’s Islamic Policies and its Responses to Radicalization Introduction: A new threat Islamic revival in the North Caucasus The Chechen war and its impact on Islam in the North Caucasus Repressions and radicalization of Salafi Jamaats Continued violence and further radicalization of Salafi Jamaats Official policies of engagement Renewed approach toward Islam Growing Islamization of public life in the North Caucasus The impact of Islamic developments in the North Caucasus on Russia: Ultra-nationalism and xenophobia Conclusion CHAPTER FOUR War in the Caucasus: Moving the Russian Military into the Twenty-first Century Introduction Context Personnel Equipment development Doctrine, tactics, and training Combat organization Command and Control Concluding thoughts PART TWO Caucasian Consequences CHAPTER FIVE Russia’s Canary in the North Caucasus’ Mine: Stavropol’skii krai Introduction What’s in a name? A note on terminology Demography: Migration and changing ethnic geography of southern Russia Terrorism: The widening of insurgency Society: The rise of Kavkazofobiya and Russian nationalism Politics: The restructuring of the Russian federal system Economics: The changing economic geography of southern Russia Conclusion CHAPTER SIX Blowback? Chechnya and the Challenges of Russian Politics A hollow victory Ramzanistan Strains of Chechenization Chechnya as mirror and foil to Russian politics Conclusion CHAPTER SEVEN Preparations for the Sochi Olympics Center-periphery relations The “Green” Olympics Budgetary issues Conclusion PART THREE Caucasian Crosscurrents CHAPTER EIGHT Islam and Orthodox Christianity in the Caucasus: From Antagonism to Partnership A brief history of Islam and Orthodoxy in the North Caucasus The historical role of the Orthodox Church in the North Caucasus The resurgence of Islamic Tolerance in the North Caucasus The new Islamic–Orthodox alliance against secularism Toward “One, Holy, Orthodox, and Islamic Russia”? CHAPTER NINE The Northeastern Caucasus: Drifting Away from Russia Introduction Social and economic settings Russian minorities Growing religious conservatism Islamism Continuous security threat “Them” and “Us” all-Caucasian versus all-Russian identity Federal efforts toward stabilization Conclusion CHAPTER TEN Conclusion: How Has the Caucasus Shaped Russia? Caucasian causation Caucasian consequences Caucasian crosscurrents Causal reciprocity in Russia and the Caucasus A Case Study of Western Memes: The Pussy Riot Conviction Index