http://www.rferl.org/archive/Caucasus_Report/latest/963/963.html Written and edited by analyst Liz Fuller, "The Caucasus" blog aims, to borrow a metaphor from Tom de Waal, to act as a smoke-detector, focusing attention on potential conflict situations and crises throughout the region.Written and edited by analyst Liz http://www.rferl.org/img/rssLogo_RFERL.gif http://www.rferl.org/archive/Caucasus_Report/latest/963/963.html en-US Copyright 2010 - RFE/RL, Inc. 60 Mon, 20 May 2013 16:47:10 +0000 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL In line with a recent amendment to last year's law reintroducing direct elections for the heads of Russia's 83 federation subjects, the Daghestani and Ingushetian parliaments have voted overwhelmingly for an alternative option. Will others follow suit? http://www.rferl.org/content/direct-elections-north-caucasus-russia/24990665.html http://www.rferl.org/content/direct-elections-north-caucasus-russia/24990665.html Sun, 19 May 2013 11:06:35 +0000 Caucasus Report http://www.rferl.org/content/direct-elections-north-caucasus-russia/24990665.html#relatedInfoContainer The Georgian Dream coalition has chosen as its candidate for the October presidential election Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Giorgi Margvelashvili. Meanwhile, incumbent President Mikheil Saakashvili’s United National Movement plans to select its presidential candidate by means of U.S.-style primaries by the end of this month. http://www.rferl.org/content/georgia-presidential-election-candidates/24985051.html http://www.rferl.org/content/georgia-presidential-election-candidates/24985051.html Mon, 13 May 2013 20:45:42 +0000 Caucasus Report http://www.rferl.org/content/georgia-presidential-election-candidates/24985051.html#relatedInfoContainer After five months of court proceedings that Chechnya’s human rights ombudsman, Nurdi Nukhadjiyev, dubbed a “witch hunt” and a travesty of justice, a Moscow court has found Chechen national Yusup Temerkhanov guilty of the murder of former Russian army Colonel Yury Budanov and sentenced him to 15 years’ imprisonment. http://www.rferl.org/content/budanov-murder-chechen-convicted-sentenced-russia-chechnya/24979306.html http://www.rferl.org/content/budanov-murder-chechen-convicted-sentenced-russia-chechnya/24979306.html Tue, 07 May 2013 12:23:11 +0000 Caucasus Report http://www.rferl.org/content/budanov-murder-chechen-convicted-sentenced-russia-chechnya/24979306.html#relatedInfoContainer On May 1, an improvised explosive device went off outside a store in Makhachkala, killing two people. Daghestan’s security services believe that the bomb was intended as a warning to the owner of the store, who had refused to pay “zakyat” – the percentage of one’s income that the North Caucasus insurgency seeks to extort to fund its activities. http://www.rferl.org/content/daghestan-extortion-insurgency/24975168.html http://www.rferl.org/content/daghestan-extortion-insurgency/24975168.html Thu, 02 May 2013 17:13:41 +0000 Caucasus Report http://www.rferl.org/content/daghestan-extortion-insurgency/24975168.html#relatedInfoContainer The Boston Marathon bombings have served to corroborate many observers’ previously unsubstantiated hunch that one reason for the Russian security services’ inability to contain the North Caucasus insurgency is that the various agencies responsible fail to share information among themselves. http://www.rferl.org/content/daghestan-tsarnaev-communication/24972337.html http://www.rferl.org/content/daghestan-tsarnaev-communication/24972337.html Tue, 30 Apr 2013 06:20:14 +0000 Caucasus Report http://www.rferl.org/content/daghestan-tsarnaev-communication/24972337.html#relatedInfoContainer Georgian President Mikheil Saakashavili has again denied that the previous Georgian government recruited and trained a group of Chechens with the aim of infiltrating them into the Russian Federation. Saakashvili was responding to what he termed “irresponsible” and “extremely dangerous” comments made by Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili in an April 26 interview with the TV channel Rustavi-2. http://www.rferl.org/content/georgia-chechen-militants-allegations-saakashvili-denial/24970927.html http://www.rferl.org/content/georgia-chechen-militants-allegations-saakashvili-denial/24970927.html Sun, 28 Apr 2013 14:14:13 +0000 Caucasus Report http://www.rferl.org/content/georgia-chechen-militants-allegations-saakashvili-denial/24970927.html#relatedInfoContainer The Daghestani wing of the North Caucasus insurgency has formally denied any role in the Boston marathon bombings. In a brief statement posted on April 21 on the website vDagestan, its leaders stress that their primary enemy is Russia and they “are not engaged in military hostilities with the United States.” http://www.rferl.org/content/daghestan-insurgency-denies-any-role-in-boston-bombing/24964774.html http://www.rferl.org/content/daghestan-insurgency-denies-any-role-in-boston-bombing/24964774.html Mon, 22 Apr 2013 10:15:17 +0000 Caucasus Report http://www.rferl.org/content/daghestan-insurgency-denies-any-role-in-boston-bombing/24964774.html#relatedInfoContainer