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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Analyst warns of radical Islam in North Caucasus |
| 2006-05-06 |
| Sergei Markedonov, the head of the interethnic relations department at Moscow's Institute of Political and Military Analysis, says ethnic nationalism in Russia's North Caucasus region is beginning to give way to a new ideology -- radical Islam. He spoke to RFE/RL North Caucasus Service correspondent Mariyat Shkhalakhova. RFE/RL: How does the political scene appear to be changing in the North Caucasus? Sergei Markedonov: There are a number of symptoms of growing destabilization. The first is the changing character of the political dangers Russia faces in the [North] Caucasus. If in the beginning of the 1990s, and until the middle of the 1990s, the main challenge for the Russian state in the Caucasus was ethnic nationalism, now the main danger is not ethnic nationalism, but radical Islam. RFE/RL: Is this a new trend that is unique to the region, or has the same transformation been witnessed in other parts of the world? Markedonov: The North Caucasus follows the same road traveled by North Africa and the Middle East. We can recall that the main terrorist groups in the '60s and '70s in North Africa and in the Middle East were secular nationalist groups. In the '80s and in the '90s the landscape changed and radical Islamic extremist groups became the most active. RFE/RL: Is ethnic nationalism leaving the political scene in the North Caucasus as well? Markedonov: One way or another, ethnic nationalism is a European phenomenon that was exported to eastern (Islamic) countries. As an ideology, as a discourse, it undergoes a certain crisis. On the other hand, the ethnic groups that came to power in the Northern Caucasus in the '90s 'privatized' authority -- isolating themselves and leaving the native nationalities they claimed to represent without a voice, and using them only as infantry troops for rallies. RFE/RL: What are the specific characteristics of radical Islam in the region? Markedonov: Radical Muslims are operating in a postcommunist society. The collapse of communism has left a niche for demands for social justice. Radical Muslims have occupied this niche of egalitarianism, the niche of social justice. RFE/RL: Does Chechnya continue to be the main trouble spot for the Kremlin in the region? Markedonov: Daghestan has become the leader in terrorist activities. Just last year it surpassed Chechnya in terms of the number of terrorist acts. Daghestan has become a territory in which Islamism is very active. Daghestan, has become a leader is this competition, shall we say, in this negative kind of competition. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #1 It only took him 10 years of terrorist attacks to grasp it. |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2006-05-06 10:59 |