The North Caucasus region is the part of Russia that slopes up towards the main ridge of the Caucasus mountains, often considered the border between Europe and Asia. It is home to dozens of nationalities and languages, many of which have troubled relationships with their neighbours or with central governments in Moscow or Tbilisi. Image from The BBCFrom The Wall Street Journal:
Putin's strategy has not brought peace.
One of the biggest myths perpetrated by Vladimir Putin’s propaganda machine is that during his 10-year rule over Russia, the former president and current prime minister succeeded in “pacifying” the North Caucasus. Nothing could be further from the truth. What we are witnessing today is the start of the third Caucasus war in 15 years, following the two Chechen wars of 1994 and 1999.
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My Comment: The Caucasus have always been been a region that has been violent and unstable. It took the Soviet Communists in the early 20th century over a decade to pacify the region .... and they were far more brutal in their tactics than what is being done today.
Present day Russian policy in the region is making a very bad situation worse. Aligning themselves with warlords will/and is backfiring on them .... as well as being coupled the with systemic corruption and grievances that goes back generations in this entire region. This is a no win situation that will produce no winners when finished.
What do I expect? .... I expect more of the same. The Russians are not going to leave, and the many competing groups in the region will continue their low-level insurgency.
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