People & Power investigates the growing religious radicalisation in Central Asia.
more about "People and Power – Breeding discontent", posted with vodpod
Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 7 Issue: 18 January 28, 2010 03:58 PM Age: 2 days
On January 27, two policemen were killed and one was wounded when unidentified assailants driving in a car attacked a police car near the villages of Yandare and Gazi-Yurt in Ingushetia’s Nazran district. On the same day, another police car was attacked near the main mosque in the republic’s largest town, Nazran. Four policemen were wounded in the attack and one of them subsequently died (ITAR-TASS, January 27). The attacks in the Nazran district took place on the same day as the law enforcement agencies lifted the special counter-terrorism regime in the district, which is perhaps indicative of the ineffectiveness of the counter-insurgency regimes in Ingushetia.
On January 26, an explosive device equivalent to eight kilograms of TNT and two Shmel rocket-propelled flame-throwers were found in Magas, the seat of Ingushetia’s government and republican branches of federal agencies. The grenade launchers were reportedly pointed toward the Federal Security Service (FSB) headquarters and the offices of the republican presidential administration. According to the reports, someone warned the FSB and the attack was averted (www.kavkaz-uzel.ru, January 26).
Continuing violence in Ingushetia is accompanied by visible restrictions on the independent sources of information in Ingushetia. The most professional and accurate Ingush website, Ingushetiyaru.org, came under powerful cyber attacks and was displaying only intermittently a non-updated version as of January 27. Even more profoundly, the authoritative Russian magazine Kommesant-Vlast received an official warning concerning the “inadmissibility of extremist activities” from the Russian government agency that oversees the media. The magazine was reprimanded for publishing an interview with the Ingush writer and Soviet-era political dissident Issa Kodzoev in November 2009 (kavkaz-uzel.ru, January 26). Two such warnings against a media outlet allow the government to ask a court to close it down.
22
Jan
10
15 quintessences about Ossetness
An optimistic assessment of Ossetian spirit by an Ossetian academician working in Moscow.
07
Jan
10
Rose Revolution examined
{{desc}}
via Transitions Online.
Different motivations may have been behind the Rose Revolution. I’m inclined to believe that the Rose Revolution had one meaning for the outside world and very different for the Georgian people. I.e. for the West it was democracy’s victory in Georgia, for the Georgians it meant shiny economic prospects and return of Abkhazia, Adjara and South Ossetia.
I equate this situation to a story with St Paul. When St Paul arrived at one of the Greek-speaking cities he encountered a magician, I think his name was Bar Jesus, somewhere in the Acts. The magician was amazed by the miracles, that St Paul and his believer companions were able to perform. So he tried to imitate them, but couldn’t and then he approached St Paul and asked to sell him the gift of performing miracles.
Georgians must have thought: “we will get democracy and get rich, defeat our foes, etc.” Democracy must have been regarded as an overly instrumental thing, rather than a “thing-in-itself”. This part of debate is often overlooked, perhaps because it is a hard thing to do – to distinguish the two aspects: liberal democracy’s ideas and the fruits, it brings.
more about "North Ossetian environmentalists address", posted with vodpod
I created a short presentation on the results of my analysis of the effects of the Russian government’s policy on demography.
Many people have read about the precarious security situation in Ingushetia, but relatively few have heard about the way the Ingush and Chechens are treated in the Russian prisons. Shocking evidence has emerged from a letter and a photo of an Ingush prisoner, Askhabali Natsulkhanov, that is detained in Volga region of Russia. It was published by an Ingush opposition website ingushetiyaru.org
In his letter Askhabali writes, that he has TB and an ulcer, he is not treated for any these deceases, does not have access even to clean bandage for his open wounds, but has to use stripes of cloths. He says, the prison guards laugh at him, saying, he is very sturdy.
People with unstable psyche should not look at the photo! Askhabali’s bowels literally stick out of his belly on this rare, clandestinely taken photo.
President Medvedev has recently announced his plans to appoint a special envoy to the Northern Caucasus. The position is thought of as a creating a power center in the region to coordinate the government agencies, working in the region. The objective is to quell the insurgency, fight corruption and stabilize the Northern Caucasus.
Since Medvedev mentioned about his plans in the address to the Russian parliament on November 12, numerous speculations have risen who would be that person. People were saying it would be Chechen president, Ramzan Kadyrov, vice prime minister of Russia Sergei Ivanov and some others. What the analysts mostly failed to observe is why this position is created at the point by Medvedev.
I think, the explanation is very simple and straightforward. While Putin is known for his grip over the siloviki, which in Russia essentially translates into political power, Medvedev has yet to demonstrate that he can find the right approach to acquire more influence within this specific circle. Appointing a super powerful person in a region where the Russian security services have worked so intensely could present President Medvedev with opportunities he could not miss. The results of the envoy’s mission will be of less importance than his ability to effectively utilize the given resources and power. Conversely, the appointment of the envoy will be indicative of whether the balance of power within Russia’s ruling tandem is shifting or, on the contrary, it is becoming more stable.
During Putin’s direct and live communication with Russian people on TV he said, he did not think of leaving the politics and might run for the 2012 presidential elections (which means he will definitely try). Very interestingly he made a very interesting statement: “Thanks God, we have no elections” [in the context: "and so I don't care about ratings"].
On the same day president Medvedev said, he did not exclude he would run for presidency in 2012 too. So Putin and Medvedev groups are now bound to have a fight. Of course the fighting might be very light or on the contrary very hard. In any case there will be something. The more they fight the more interesting it is going to be to observe, but poor Russian people and perhaps even people beyond Russia.
Russian news agency Regnum informs, that a former top official of South Ossetia, Alan Chochiev has recently been granted political asylum in Germany. According to Mr Chochiev he was attacked especially violently on the brink of the war in South Ossetia in August 2008. This is a very significant development as Germany is known for its reluctance to grant political asylum to anyone.
