“New Tajikistan”—New Tensions?

Tension has gripped Tajikistan over the past several weeks in response to the establishment of a new political party. The founding of this party by reputable political, business and academic elites has awakened the public and...

Anti-Gay Rampage in Tbilisi: Is Impunity Returning to Georgia?

On May 17, several hundred gay rights activists from the organization Identoba (Identity) attempted to hold a rally in central Tbilisi to mark the International Day Against Homophobia...

Shoigu Kicks Serdyukov Reform into Long Grass

Six months after his appointment as Russia’s defense minister, Army-General Sergei Shoigu has initiated a number of policy reversals in key areas of his predecessor’s Armed Forces reform. Some of these changes were small...

Kazakhstan Proposes to Expand its Transit Facilities on the Caspian to Facilitate NATO’s Withdrawal from Afghanistan

On April 26, Kazakhstani President Nursultan Nazarbayev opened the third ministerial meeting of the so-called Istanbul process, an international initiative for reconstructing and stabilizing Afghanistan in view of the...

Sources of Moldova’s Political Chaos: The Party System and Coalition Rule

The myth of Moldova as “the success story” in the European Union’s neighborhood, has clearly expired. Moldova’s institutions and rule of law have foundered in the chaos of its party system and rule by coalition—in this case, the...

Disappointed in Moscow, Russian Circassian Activist Hails Georgia’s Approach to the North Caucasus

In an interview with the Kavkazskaya Politika website, the well-known Circassian activist Ibragim Yaganov said Russia must take steps to alleviate the hardships it inflicted on the Circassians. Yaganov contrasted Russia’s policy...

The Spy Story: An Episode in Russia’s Confusion

As spy scandals go, the one in Moscow last week (May 14) could set a new record for oddity and senselessness. Accused Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agent Ryan Fogle (29) was caught red-handed with a thick pad of money, a map...

The Sultan’s Raiders: The Military Role of the Crimean Tatars in the Ottoman Empire

From the fourteenth to the seventeenth centuries, the Christian nations of Europe and the Shiites of Persia were forced to defend their lands against the inroads of an ever expanding Ottoman Empire, an empire whose awesome war...

Growing Sense of Polarization and Escalating Tensions in Crimea Ahead of 69th Anniversary of Crimean Tatar Deportation

Each year on May 18, around 25,000–30,000 Crimean Tatars gather in Crimea’s capital Simferopol to commemorate the 1944 deportation of their parents and grandparents from their historical homeland. They come to Simferopol from all...

Crimean Tatars to Protest Ukrainian Actions on Deportation Anniversary

Tomorrow (May 18) marks the 69th anniversary of Joseph Stalin’s deportation of the Crimean Tatar nation from their homeland on trumped-up charges of collaboration with the Germans during World War II. And once again, Crimean...

Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan Presidential Summit Boosts Joint Ties

Turkmenistani President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov made a state visit to Kazakhstan on May 10–11. Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev said that his counterpart’s visit “demonstrates the mutual desire to develop these...

Sources of Moldova’s Political Chaos: The Parliamentary System

Moldova’s tripartite government, the Alliance for European Integration (AEI), has foundered over its internal contradictions, and will no longer be resuscitated in its previously existing form. Two of AEI’s parties have scuttled...

Ombatse: Nigerian Religious Cult Joins War on the State in Central Nigeria

Nigeria has experienced years of sectarian violence between Christians and Muslims and endured massacres and bombings by religiously-inspired groups like Boko Haram. Now, however, with the slaughter of as many as 90 members of...

Lebanese Salafist Cleric Organizes Militia Forays into Syria

With the militarization of the Syrian uprising complete, the makeup of the violent insurrection that is raging across Syria remains a topic of scrutiny. The assemblage of competing opposition forces persists in its attempts to...

Has al-Qaeda in Iran Gone Operational? The Evidence from Canada

Two men were charged in Canada on April 23 with conspiring to commit murder and terrorism in relation to an alleged plot to derail a Canadian passenger train providing service to and from New York City. Though the Royal Canadian...

BRIEFS

ARABS AND TUAREG CLASH IN STRUGGLE FOR DESTINY OF NORTHERN MALI

Andrew McGregor

New fighting between northern Mali’s Arab community and the Tuareg rebels working with French intervention forces in the region threatens to...

Jamestown President Glen Howard quoted by The New York Times

Jamestown President Glen Howard was quoted by The New York Times in an article titled "Chechen Refugee Questioned in F.B.I.'s Inquiry of Bombing."

Tilting at Windmills: Why Do the West’s Belarus Policies Not Succeed?

In Belarus, the second Sunday of May is celebrated as the Day of the National Emblem and Flag. “For a true citizen, there is nothing more sacred than the coat of arms and the flag of his or her country. Looking at them, each one...

International Islamist Movement Spreads to the North Caucasus

The Jamestown Foundation has repeatedly reported on Hizb ut-Tahrir’s (HuT) activities in Russia over the past several years. And as the investigation of the Boston bombings progresses, reports are surfacing in the West that...

The Kremlin Antagonizes Obama Administration with Impunity

Last-minute efforts during recent meetings with President Vladimir Putin by British Prime Minister David Cameron, his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu and United States Secretary of State John Kerry to dissuade Russia from...

FBI Director Mueller’s Visit to Georgia Highlights Bilateral Counter-Terrorism Cooperation

On May 8, Robert Mueller, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), visited Georgia. The official reason for the visit was to assess the terrorism risks in the region in connection with the 2014 Winter Olympics...

Potential Socialist-led Government in Bulgaria Could Help Russian Energy Interests

The Bulgarian general elections on May 12 produced a hung parliament and little hope that the political stalemate would be easily overcome. Political instability is expected to continue during a prolonged period of appointing a...

Ethnic Abaza React to Rising Karachai Nationalism

On May 3, groups of Karachay and Abaza youth clashed in Karachaevo-Cherkessia. According to a member of the Abaza organization, Janibek Kuzhev, the fight took place in the village of Psyzh in Abazin district of...

Lost in Space? Moscow Tries to Rebuild Its Civilian and Military Space Programs

Since 1991, the highly developed Soviet space industry has fallen on hard times. Even though much Russian commentary has emphasized the competitiveness of Russia’s present-day space sector, it has nonetheless fallen behind its...

Jacob Zenn interviewed by Voice of America

Jacob Zenn was interviewed by Voice of America about Boko Haram and security in northeastern Nigeria.