Monday, September 24, 2018
Setting the North Caucasus Ablaze is Easy; Putting Out the Flames is Hard
Paul Goble
Staunton, September 23 – Because of its earlier bitter experience, Moscow’s policy in the North Caucasus over the last decade has been to use subsidies and force to make sure that ethnic and religious conflicts do not break out in the region since setting the North Caucasus ablaze is easy – there is a lot of “dry tinder” around – but putting out the conflagration is hard.
That makes some of Moscow’s recent actions, including both intentional moves and failures, surprising and has led some to ask this week “why did the powers that be allow the outburst of the Kabardino-Balkar conflict?” (onkavkaz.com/news/2403-v-kbr-promorgali-konflikt-pochemu-vlasti-dopustili-vspyshku-kabardino-balkarskogo-protivostojan.html). Read more
