The term powder keg sticks to the Caucasus like chewing gum. But the comparison is wrong because once a barrel is ignited, it only burns down once. After that there is peace. Unlike in the Caucasus. One of the countless conflicts has now erupted again in the south of the mountainous region: Azerbaijan has attacked Nagorno-Karabakh – a tiny region that belongs to Azerbaijan but is inhabited by Armenians. In simple words.
The rapid flammability of the Caucasus
But nothing is easy in the area. It starts with the names. In Dagestan, for example, on the Russian side, there are no Dagestanis but Dargins, but they are not even the majority, but the Avars. The area is also populated by Azerbaijanis, Lezgians, Kumyks, Lakes and Nogians. And of course Russians. 94 percent of the population are Muslims, and acts of terrorism, murders and kidnappings have been shaking the country for 30 years.
North of Dagestan lies Chechnya, which dared to declare itself independent when the Soviet Union dissolved. Russia tried to put an end to this effort in 1994 and invaded there. The campaign became a disaster for Moscow, which is why Vladimir Putin, as prime minister, began to retake Chechnya in 1999, bombing it into rubble and ash.
These are just two examples of the rapid flammability of the Caucasus. Almost all ethnic groups, peoples, states and self-proclaimed republics are somehow at odds with each other – solutions are not even remotely in sight.
The most important conflicts at a glance:
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
