In post-Soviet countries, the leaders of national churches are increasingly exercising considerable influence on their populations and pursuing their own social and political agendas.
The North Caucasus has a long history of conflict with the Russian state and it will take years, if not decades, for the region to become stable and economically viable enough to undermine radicalization among its marginalized inhabitants.
As Russia’s 2012 presidential elections draw near, the tandem government between President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin faces increasing strain.
If the Abkhaz government continues to avoid engagement with the international community, it runs the risk of letting Russia determine Abkhazia's future.
Unlike in Russia, where organized crime persists in part because the government lacks the political will to enforce the law consistently, organized crime in the Caucasus has its roots in a larger cultural problem.
Abkhazia’s relationship with Russia and the larger international community is shaped both by its disputed status as an independent state and by a sharp historical memory of its equally disputed past.
While war is not likely to break out over Nagorno-Karabakh in the near future, there is a growing possibility that escalation in the tension between Azerbaijan and Armenia could kill the peace process.
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili’s central role in the country’s governance may leave Georgia ill-equipped to handle the growing economic challenges ahead.
The ongoing conflicts in the Caucasus stem more from the way the region was managed under the Soviet system than from any ethnic incompatibility or ancient hatreds among its inhabitants.